VTHH Awards: Big Botches & Common Questions
First of all, I want to apologize to Rivan and the Holy Smokes team for borking up the Best Video category. I mistakenly believed that "VT Vahbe" was a Rivan song featuring Fabo: it is in fact a Fabo song featuring Rivan. This means that Rivan's video for "CA$H" should have been on the ballot. When Rivan cleared that up, I corrected the listings on the ballot, but: we already had 29 votes submitted, so I'm just gonna have to let that mistake roll. And make peace with the fact I am a moron for trying to rush the details on a project where details are everything.
Second, I just want to address the most common issues I'm getting emails and DMs about…
Q: Why is [ insert name here ] not included on your list?
A: They did not get enough nominations to make the final cut. In fact, for a lot of the people asking me that question this week? You didn't recieve any nominations at all. Life is an unforgiving struggle and there is always more work to do.
Q: Why are you sleeping on [ insert name here ] ?
A: This is a valid question. Odds are pretty good that I, personally, haven't heard of you yet. However, in the context of the VTHH Awards in 2024, you were slept on by 81 other people who submitted nominations. You need to do more shows, meet more people, release more music and gain more fans. That will remain true for the rest of your career, no matter how big you get.
Q: How can [ insert name here ] be on the ballot for next year?
A: Do enough work to convince a couple dozen of your peers that you're one of the best in the state at what you do. I realize that is a tall order, but the sooner you come to grips with the fact that the music business is not a talent show, the better off you'll be.
Q: How can I vote in the Vermont Hip Hop Awards?
A: Tell me who you are and give me your email address. That's about it. The scene is growing every year and the mailing list for the VTHH Awards Jury should be growing, too. Please note this is not open to family, friends and fans: this is for participants. Even if you're just making beats in your dorm room and posting them on Soundcloud, though, that's enough for me. Get in touch.
Q: If I didn't vote in the Nominations Round, can I vote on the Final Ballot?
A: Hell yeah, and please do. I'm grateful for everyone who put in time to really think about their nominations, but I also recognize that is straight up work.
Q: Why haven't I heard of this before?
A: This is definitely my favorite question, because ... BRUH, HOW COULD I ANSWER THAT QUESTION FOR YOU? HOW IS THAT ON ME? HOW. This website has existed since 2018 and it's backed up by Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I'm not saying this is some kind of big deal, but fuck, it ain't exactly hard to find, either.
Q: Can I sponsor the Vermont Hip Hop Awards?
A: No. Especially not if you're a business that sells legal drugs. I’m grateful that weed money is sponsoring shows and creating opportunities for artists, but this right here is a purely independent community service and an all ages show.
Q: Why can’t the public vote on this?
A: Because this is about respect, not numbers. If we were just going to measure "popularity" by an open vote, why bother doing this at all? I could just add up whoever has the most followers on every social media platform and call it a day.