MTV World Premiere: 20 of The Biggest Music Videos To Debut on The Network
Before surprise drops and social media spoilers, there was one place you had to be to catch a new video from your favorite artist… MTV. A World Premiere Video on…
(Photo by Peter Kramer/Getty Images)
Before surprise drops and social media spoilers, there was one place you had to be to catch a new video from your favorite artist... MTV. A World Premiere Video on MTV wasn’t casual, it was an EVENT. You called your friends, sat in front of the TV, and waited.
With the recent shutdown of the MTV music channels, I have been feeling nostalgic. Here are 20 of the biggest world premiere music videos in MTV history.
Michael Jackson “Thriller” / Premiere: December 2, 1983
Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” / Premiere: September 1991
Childish Gambino “This Is America” / Premiere: May 6, 2018
Madonna “Like a Prayer” / Premiere: March 1989
Beyoncé “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” / Premiere: October 13, 2008
Tupac Shakur “California Love” / Premiere: December 1995
Madonna “Vogue” / Premiere: March 1990
Britney Spears “…Baby One More Time” / Premiere: November 1998
TLC “Waterfalls” / Premiere: May 1995
Jay-Z “Big Pimpin’” / Premiere: April 2000
Missy Elliott “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” / Premiere: 1997
MC Hammer “U Can’t Touch This” / Premiere: January 1990
Eminem “Lose Yourself” / Premiere: October 2002
Prince “1999” / Premiere: 1982
Aaliyah “Try Again” / Premiere: 2000
OutKast “Hey Ya!” / Premiere: September 2003
Janet Jackson “Rhythm Nation” / Premiere: 1989
Drake “Hotline Bling” / Premiere: October 2015
Whitney Houston “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” / Premiere: 1987
Kanye West “Stronger” / Premiere: July 2007
MTV may not look the same today, but make no mistake, the blueprint for how we experience music visuals now was written on that channel. And if you were watching? You didn’t just see history. You lived it.
