I’m not gonna front. I don’t watch BET. Similarly to the several reasons why I don’t watch MTV or Vh1 and their “sluts of love” series of series, but even more so because I can’t co-sign on shit on that channel.
However… I would be frontin’ if I didn’t admit that I was looking forward to the BET Awards that took place last night. As Jamie Foxx said earlier during the show, “MJ was OURS, and we shared him with the world.” Who else could do a better job at showing love and paying tribute to the Michael Jackson than BET, right?
Right??
Quadruple womp. Before I begin my rant, I’ma just say this. I’m a music historian. Therefore, I’m WELL aware of the realization that music evolves. Music from the 20s sounds different from the 30s, so needless to say it sounds different from the new millennial tracks we hear on the radio now. That works backwards, too. While music from today can be traced and tracked backwards to follow where different sounds originated, it should only prove that much more that evolution takes place. So, no. I’m not going to clown the music that was played and performed and rewarded and awarded last night. I’m not going to say, “In comparison to MJ…” and I’m not going to say “It all sucked.” I don’t believe that. In fact, outside of the tributes, Jamie Foxx & T-Pain’s “Blame It” with Travis Becker forced me to rock out with my proverbial cock out.
What I AM going to say, is this. I look at BET’s current core audience, and I see babies born in the early 90s. The fresh into college/preparing to bounce from high school babies. I look at BET’s current stars and I see 80s babies, 70s babies (on the low, tho’, ’cause they aren’t supposed to be “that damn old”), and 60s babies running the show. Why wasn’t there a video montage of Michael’s greatest hits? His most important contributions to music as we know it? What about the things he did for the artists that these 90s babies adore? Let’s even talk about the GROUND he broke with music videos and MTV? Maybe the way he forced everyone - white, black, blue? you name it - to step their game up if they were going to compete for airtime with him? How ’bout all that?
Were we too interested in giving Alicia Keys some time to post her scam donation number on the screen? Were we too interested in 40-year-old-ass-Pleasure-P having time to perform whatever fuckery he tried to sing? Or was it just something about that Baby Boy sketch at the end that just COULDN’T be cut out to make time for a MJ montage?
I said I wasn’t going to compare the music of today to MJ’s because I think that’s unfair and disrespectful to the evolution of time and the music that soundtracks it. But as far as priorities, BET’s suck. And I’m sorry, but I won’t be watching shit else on that channel. (Yes, I know I said it like I was watching any of it before, but it needed to be said.)
I suggest you are extremely ignorant. yes the show was bad, stupid, etc…but to say an organization is a scam is ridiculous. You are probably doing nothing to help those ppl find a cure, live, and enjoy life…Alicia is and you call the Keep A Child Alive Foundation a scam??? Stop it. Have you even stop to see all the ppl she and the foundation has Kept Alive? No, I guess it doesn’t really matter, you call yourself black but you are disrespecting the motherland which is deteriorating. It’s okay if ur ignorant about the situation, alot of ppl are, but don’t degrade it…that organiztion save thousands of lives in it’s short time.
Listen, Miss Keys fan, let me enlighten you on how those “text to send” programs work.
You text a phone number, and yes, the money is billed to your cell phone and sent to a charitable organization. Do you know what those companies THEN do with your phone number? Did you KNOW that they sell your number to other companies who THEN take it upon themselves to bombard you with texts that you can’t block, depending on your cell carrier? Did YOU read or review any agreement before you made your donation, or were you DUPED into thinking that because Alicia Keys was co-signing it, it was legit? Do you even THINK SHE KNOWS how those companies really work, or that she - much like you - just said “it’s doing some good, I’m down?”
Please don’t come at me about ignorance. I don’t do accusatory context very well, and apparently neither do you… especially since your grammar is atrocious. Do you know what I do for MY community? Do you know what I do for MY city, state, Universities, motherland or Country? Better yet, do you know ME? You know what I type, so limit your familiarity. I LOVE Alicia Keys, but I can and will call a spade a spade anyday.
Since we’re on suggestions, I suggest that the next time your Google Alert tells you something about Alicia Keys popped up on THIS site, that you think TWICE before you comment. We say what we want here, and if you don’t know what you’re talking about, you’ll be thoroughly told so. Have a wonderful day.
I’m so mad about Vibe’s demise that I forgot the most important part:
Not ONCE did I say or ever did I mean to imply that Keep A Child Alive was a scam organization. EVER. I’m referring specifically to the means in which they’re soliciting the donations. Companies that help facilitate those types of “donations” (in quotes because not all of the orgs doing the solicitations are ethical) aren’t always doing it for altruistic reasons. Period. I stand by every word I typed.