Coolio won the 1996 MTV Video Music Award for Best Dance Video for “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New).” The award was presented at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards, held on September 4 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Released in 1996, “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New)” was built around a sample of “Thighs High (Grip Your Hips and Move)” by Tom Browne. The song followed Coolio’s breakthrough success with “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which had become a major international hit after appearing on the Dangerous Minds soundtrack. Its upbeat rhythm and dance-oriented production helped it cross from rap into mainstream pop and dance programming.
Coolio had a particularly strong night at the 1996 ceremony, winning three awards. “Gangsta’s Paradise” won Best Rap Video and Best Video from a Film, while “1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin’ New)” won Best Dance Video. The song’s title is sometimes written with different punctuation or capitalization, but those variations do not change the answer. The award was for the video, not a Grammy category or an MTV Europe Music Award.