This summer, the music world was shaken by the sudden passing of Ozzy Osbourne. The tragic loss of this icon came just weeks after his final performance at the “Back to the Beginning” show with his Black Sabbath bandmates. Of course, with someone as notable as Osbourne, tributes poured in from friends, fans and fellow musicians.
On Sept. 7 at the MTV Video Music Awards, we saw the first notable award show tribute to Osbourne. As a massive fan of his, I found this tribute disappointing; not necessarily in execution, but in its ideas. The VMA’s guest and song choices "sanded off the metal," which was exactly what made Osbourne and his music so iconic.
Starting with the positive, Yungblud was the obvious choice for a tribute to Osbourne. On top of “Changes” at the “Back To The Beginning” show, Yungblud has been very public about his love for Osbourne. At the VMAs, he prominently displayed “the most precious thing I own," a cross necklace gifted to him in 2022 by Osbourne. With Yungblud seemingly being one of Osbourne’s favorite modern rock artists, it’s only appropriate that he would be the choice to pay tribute to his late hero.
Aerosmith, on the other hand, is an out-of-left-field pick that frankly makes no sense. Sure, they’re rock icons with plenty of hits across generations, and they were contemporaries of Osbourne, but aside from that surface level, there’s not enough tying these two bands together.
The biggest issue is that neither Yungblud nor Aerosmith are metal. Even though Osbourne has become a pop culture icon bigger than any one genre, much like Dolly Parton or Snoop Dogg, the role that he played with Black Sabbath, pioneering the shift from hard rock into true heavy metal, is undeniably his most important achievement. A tribute should therefore be his chance to be celebrated as such by the artists from the genre he inspired.
Judas Priest would’ve been my front runner for an Osbourne contemporary rather than Aerosmith. Not only are they still great 50 years into their career, but they’re touring the United States. They have MTV nostalgia with their music prominently featured on the show Beavis and Butthead and could pay tribute to Osbourne with a “War Pigs” cover, a song they’ve played at the beginning of every one of their shows for years.
Even if MTV wants a legacy act with a larger modern fanbase, Metallica and Slipknot are both solid options. Metallica toured with Osbourne in 1986, helping propel them into the superstars they are today. They’ve also consistently shown up to pay their respects to him, including at their final show.
Slipknot also has a tight connection with Ozzy, meeting in 1999 at OzzFest, where Slipknot, like Metallica, gained momentum that helped drive them into stardom. Slipknot’s DJ, Sid Wilson, is also engaged to Ozzy’s daughter Kelly, whom he popped the question to at the final Black Sabbath show. Metallica and Slipknot were so tight with Ozzy that members of both bands were invited to attend his private funeral.
MTV’s shying away from metal in Osbourne’s tribute is also apparent in the songs chosen. While “Changes,” “Crazy Train” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home” are some of the biggest songs he’s ever done, having two-thirds of the tribute be ballads feels a little off for an artist who laid the cornerstone for a genre defined by aggression.
Playing Black Sabbath songs like “War Pigs,” “Paranoid” and “Iron Man” would’ve made the tribute more complete, but considering the somber nature of the tribute after “Crazy Train," I understand the decision not to crank the amps to 11.
Without Osbourne, there is no metal, and without metal, there is no Osbourne. The famous Osbourne family, crazy instances like biting the head off a bat or any other iconic Osbourne moments, don’t exist without him and his bandmates in Black Sabbath pushing rock over the edge. They created a genre of music that is not only important but also alternative.
Seeing one of the most pivotal artists in this alternative genre boiled down to his most consumable core is always a problem with the way people have talked about Osbourne. While the VMA's performance isn’t offensive or disrespectful, it’s disappointing to see them miss the point of what made Osbourne one of the most important musicians to ever live.
Nicholas is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Nicholas about his column? Email him at nk696121@ohio.edu.
