As the self-proclaimed award show connoisseur, there was no doubt that I would be tuning into the MTV Video Music Awards. This year’s ceremony was… mediocre at best. Granted, it was nowhere near the trainwreck that was the American Music Awards. But, for the most part, it was pretty forgettable. The only two standouts for me were MTV showing music videos 24/7 on their sister stations leading up to the award show, and the Ozzy Osbourne Tribute. In fact, the tribute wasn’t announced until three days before the show was supposed to air. With the secret surrounding the performance, I was skeptical about what the tribute would hold. And dare I say, they actually did a pretty good job.
As a brief refresher, Osbourne was one of the most prominent music icons in my and millions of people’s lifetimes. His breakout career began with his critically acclaimed band Black Sabbath. The group was highly praised for their distinct, energetic sound and gothic style. Some of their most iconic songs include Iron Man and War Pigs. In the late 70s, Osbourne would be fired from the group due to his excessive drug and alcohol abuse. He would then start a massive solo career throughout the 80s and 90s, where he debuted with massive hits, including Crazy Train. Osbourne introduced himself to a new audience with the reality TV series The Osbournes, which aired on MTV. The series followed Osborune, his wife Sharon, and their kids, Jack and Kelly, and their daily lives. Although the show lasted four seasons, the show ultimately became a cult classic. During this time, Osbourne continued to release new music. In 2020, Osbourne revealed his struggle with Parkinson’s and emphysema. On July 5th, 2025, Ozzy and Black Sabbath got together one final time in their Back to the Beginning benefit concert. Seventeen days later, Osbourne would pass away due to cardiac arrest.
Over the past five or so years, it seems as though every award show has been doing a tribute to someone. The first time I noticed it was around 2021 when the Grammys, BET awards, and more were doing tributes to none other than P-Diddy. Oh, how things can change within half a decade. Since then, we have seen tributes to anyone who is considered to be an icon within the industry. For example, during this past award season, we’ve seen the Grammys honoring Quincy Jones and the BET Awards honoring Snoop Dogg and Mariah Carey. To me, however, a tribute has to be as passionate as the person they are acknowledging, and I feel as though that hasn’t been the case. Take Janet Jackson’s AMAs tribute/performance. She is one of the most important musicians of the 20th century. In a perfect world, you would have artists of her caliber giving their all to perform her greatest hits, both solo and alongside her. Not to mention, the production quality would be off the charts, with backup dancers filling every corner of the stage, and we would be taken aback by all of her timeless classics. In reality, it felt as though they didn’t give her more than a second thought. She only performed three songs, one of which wasn’t really popular until TikTok had “discovered” the song and made it trend on the platform. The show only mentioned her smash hits, such as Rhythm Nation and That’s the Way Love Goes, by name. The thing that made me upset about the performance wasn’t how Janet performed; she did the best she could with what she was given. However, it was clear to see that every other performance had a higher budget than Jackson’s. WatchJennifer Lopez and guest Rod Stewart had during their show, and compare it with Jackson’s. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not mad at the other musicians who were given their time to shine. But I don’t think some musicians should get a higher budget than others. To see an icon just accept that kind of disrespect hurt me on a personal level. She deserved so much more, but I keep telling myself, “at least she was accepted for something good”.
Now, let’s cut back to a couple of days before the awards when they announced performers Yungblud, Joe Perry, Steven Tyler, and Nuno Bettencourt to be a part of a tribute to Osbourne. Yungblud is a British artist who blends rock, punk, and some hip-hop. Steve Tyler and Joe Perry from Aerosmith are known for their hits Never Want to Miss a Thing and their hip-hop remix of their 1975 song Walk This Way with RUN-DMC. And finally, Nuno Battencourt is a part of the Boston rock band Extreme and is considered by Rolling Stone to be one of the best guitarists of all time. Admittedly, this is a solid lineup. Not only music-wise, but they all had previously known and worked with Osbourne (minus Battencourt). The main worrying factor was Steven Tyler, who had to retire from touring due to breaking his vocal cords.
The show kicked off with a shirtless Yungblud singing Crazy Train. In terms of his vocals, he didn’t try to do anything extra… or “crazy” for that matter. It’s often in tributes like these where people attempt to do something extra in order to make a headline (ie, Janelle Monáe at this year’s Grammys). In the guitar solo, Battencourt, without a doubt, aced it. Between the guitar solo and Yungblud giving a combination of his own and Ozzy’s euphemisms, it was an overall good cover. Changes was the song I was the least familiar with out of the three songs performed. There was a lot of raw emotion in this performance. I don’t have notes for this moment. The final song was Mama, I’m Coming Home. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry did the first half of the song. Joey Perry, per usual, did his thing. When it came to the guitars and how everyone on instruments played, there were no notes other than compliments. Steven Tyler’s opening vocals were, in my opinion, slightly rough. However, I don’t feel good about giving him criticism, considering his injury. It’s a miracle that he can still even sing with us. Yungblud joins Tyler in the song, both holding on to each other while singing the ballad. Their voices complemented each other greatly. This song also showcased again how Yungblud didn’t attempt to upstage Tyler, by singing around Tyler’s vocal range. Toward the end, when the duo kept repeating “Mama, I’m coming home”, it was apparent that Steven Tyler was holding back tears. After all was said and done, Yungblud and Tyler embraced, and the crowd was ecstatic.
The tribute was very well received, with some saying that MTV was returning to its roots of music-focused content and that rock was still alive in the mainstream. However, the show wasn’t without criticism. The voice of displeasure comes from The Darkness’ guitarist Dan Hawkins, who called the tribute “Cynical, nauseating and more importantly, shit,” while also claiming that those involved, particularly Yungblud, were nothing more than posers. Even his brother Justin Hawkins jumped into the conversation by saying about Yungblud, “It feels like he’s cynically positioned himself as a natural heir to the Ozzy legacy, having nothing to do with the really important stuff.” Hawkins isn’t the only one who has questioned having Yungblud as part of the tribute. Many wondered why the VMAs didn’t include bigger musicians who carried the mantle that Ozzy left, such as KISS, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, etc. Not to say that Yungblud wasn’t influenced by Osbourne, but he has a much smaller impact than the previous bands mentioned.
I think the discussion on the tribute has been really interesting. I can see where people might have liked or disliked aspects of the show. Personally, I think this is one of the best tributes an award show has ever done. When it comes to the performers, you have to remember two things: they are people who knew Ozzy personally, and this is MTV. As for this being MTV, the VMAs don’t have the same kind of relevance they had ten years ago. Therefore, why would artists want to spend their time performing on an award show that wouldn’t get them attraction and attention? If anything, musicians who are more destined for a tribute are waiting for the Grammys to call them. Not to mention, considering MTV has shifted away from its musical content, they most likely have a low budget that wouldn’t have been able to both book and manage major groups. Choosing Aerosmith, Yungblud, and Battencourt seemed like a perfect balance in budget and personality. On that note, these performers still had a strong connection to Ozzy. Osbourne was incredibly close with Yungblud throughout their whole career, up until Osbourne’s death. When you Google Yungblud and Ozzy, you will always see the question of whether the two are related. Not to mention, Yungblud’s music is also heavily inspired by Osbounre. Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and Battencourt were also extremely close friends with Osbourne were also extremely close friends with Ozzy. I don’t think it was a terribly mismatched set of performers; if anything, they made sense because of how close their connection was to Osbourne. They were friends honoring a friend.
That’s why I think the tribute worked so much. Unlike a fair amount of other tributes, this felt personal to both the artists and those putting on the show together. They were able to show their musical talents without making the performance about them. There was actual human thought put into this project. My only hope is that the Grammys and other awards take note of this tribute and learn how to properly respect their artists the right way.
