The Network of BET (Analysis)
Sometimes i just wish BET would die. Its relevance to black culture just doesn't exist, and its only mission is to entertain middle and high school kids with horrible hip hop with its self degrading show 106 & Park, a show that even its host are even reported to quit in a few months. Which is the only show giving them major rating besides the re-runs they air of Everybody Hates Chris, The Parkers, and the Bernie Mac Show. The only show that is actually in syndication is The Game, which is BET's only good show with substance, well played out drama, and actually has a black cultural relevance.
Yet BET didn't even create it, it was a show they picked up from UPN after it stopped airing. The founder and at one time President of BET, Bob Johnson has said it over and over again, he did not create BET to break a social stigma, with a purpose to improve or show black culture in a better light. He has said time and time agin BET is a business, and he ran it as such. Debra Lee shamefully volunteered in carrying the torch after Bob Johnson stepped down as President, and in doing so created a horrible degrading representation of black culture, giving horrible rap music a forefront and letting a huge generation of hood rat/trap/retarted/ratchet rap touch the mainstream, while underground/creative/innovative rap was left to suffer because it was not "selling." Now in 2012, rap is separated into two different sectors "YMCMB" and "The Throne" its seems that the rest of rap is let to rot in the background because of Mainstream dumbed-down/luxury rap.106 & Park is not even relevant to top charting billboard Hip-Hop or R&b. Besides "YCMB & The Throne" no other hip hop acts even reaches the Top 100 Billboard Charts besides a few R&B singers who can't really be branded as R&b as much as they can techno. All the acts that BET showcase in their daily Top 10 of 106 & Park only reach top Hip-Hop/Rap Billboard charts, which don't sell over 600,000 units and are far away from the mainstream demographic as possible.
Even with this dying channel of re-run shows, culturally degrading music BET ironically awards us with The BET Awards. A show that prides it self on thinking it has sometime of cultural relevancy while only scraping the surface of what true black culture is in this day and age.For example, this year you can clearly see the dying art of mainstream hip hop. If you look at the regular line-up its always hip-hop/r&b awards/performances then then gospel another performances. Since BET didn't have a lot of rappers to chose from they showcased gospel/r&b/awards/achievements first and in-between that, there were the Hip-Hop performances. It's sad that BET choses its hood-rat rappers like Wale/Rick Ross/Nicki Minaj/2Chainz. When they could choose BIg KRIT/ Kendrick Lamar/Skyzoo/ Joey Bad A$$/Brother Ali/Killa Mike even Theophilus London. Most of these artist have appeared and performed on Late Night Television or MTV Specials, and yet BET refuses to recognize their stardom because it doesn't match with mainstream hip hop's"image" of hood rachetness.
BET always fathoms some idea that the are the cornerstone of black media/culture. When that in itself is dying. They produce mindless shows that don't represent the evolution of black culture instead they dryly cut the surface and ignore of the artistic, independent nature and the educated young mind of black graduates. They try to connect to the family/newly married couple demographic with shows such as Reed Between the Lines/Lets Stay Together but ultimately fails with blotchy plots, dry humor, and cheap cliché dramas.
Each year BET tries to re-define what black culture is but ultimately fail because they try to define us by one image, by one type of young person, and one type of adult. Yet at the same time BET tries again, with a newscaster report. This is the third time BET tried to do that. First with Tavis Smiley, secondly with a cheaply-produced in-between-show newscast.Both were cancelled becase the hood rat demographic that they attracted doesn't watch they news. Besides why would Tavis Smiley doesn't want to work where they don't pay him at all, which is one of the reasons he left and went to PBS. Speaking on the manner of not paying any one, BET is born on being cheap. BET has a history of paying employes crap and trying to make a produce shows on a shoe-string budget with shoe-string quality. The comedians that were involved and performed on Comic View in the 90's were meagerly payed, and given meager benefits. Its even the reason AJ and Free left, and now (to my theory) is the reason Rocsi and Terrence are reported to leave in a few months. If the banned Boondocks episode "Hunger Strike" is accurate BET pays their employes a chicken wing and an orange as apart of their new health care plan. No matter how hard they try BET will never fully represent every diverse corner of black culture. They should just stop and quit because in 10-15 years, no one will be watching BET. Right now I feel shamed that I'm even watching the BET Awards right now. Well, besides that D'Angelo performance. Wait......aren't The Incredibles on right now?
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