My lengthy, but needed letter to BET

This is not a confession.... this is part of the wake up call..................

 Baltimore, MD 21214

June 29, 2009

Black Entertainment Television Network

C/O Black Embarrassment Television

1235 W Street, NE

Washington, DC 20018 – 1211

Debra Hill, Steve Hill, Executives Producers and Associates of the 2009 BET Awards show:

            On June 28, 2009 I tuned in to watch the “2009 BET Awards show” to celebrate the life, times, and memorial of Michael Jackson, based on the words spoken by (you) Debra Lee during (your) {brief} CNN interview with Don Lemon on the red carpet. Ms. Lee insinuated that the show had been revamped to honor the passing of Mr. Jackson. She (Ms. Lee) implied that her staff as well as the scheduled performing artists worked diligently to make unplanned and last minute changes {successful}. She concluded the same interview by asking viewers of CNN to tune and watch the entire show, for the following reason…the tribute would not only occur at the beginning of the show…Mr. Jackson would be honored throughout the entire evening. 

Regrettably and sadly to say, this wasn’t the case for this award show. This was the worse BET award show ever. I was appalled, embarrassed, and insulted by the antics of the host, the skits, and some of the performances. It is not tribute to play his hits before and after coming from commercials. A tribute is not having drunk stars speak on the deceased. I understand a lot of people in the industry have been influenced and had a personal relationship with Mr. Jackson; however, one does not show respect by being inebriated on national, better yet, international television.

Michael Jackson was a walking ICON. There will never be another “Michael” in some of our lifetimes. He should have been honored for his musical genius. His contributions to Black and world music; he crossed several barriers that a lot of these young artists of today will never have to see due to his due diligence. Michael Jackson had rare, raw, and beautiful talent that is no more as of last Thursday (June 25^th).

On Thursday, several news outlets had video clips, articles, and even previously aired documentaries on him that they cut and pasted throughout the weekend highlighting the lows of this man’s career. This was the perfect chance to remind the world of his accomplishments; meanwhile, BET decides to have clownish behavior, buffoonery and coon-ism as a means to celebrate this great ICON. This was an opportunity to self promote the network, artists, and the legend had it be done tastefully; however, this didn’t happened. It is unfortunate. Instead of making strives on Sunday, BET took us back to yesteryear. Regrettably, Sunday’s night show showed the world that we as a people still cannot get it “right”. It’s a shame that MTV, your parent company (Viacom) will be ready and willing to step on toes to have a proper tribute ready for Michael Jackson when their award show is scheduled. In addition to other musical outlets such as the Grammy’s; BET could have been the first and had the chance to set the bar on tributes to this man.

The most embarrassing moment of the evening was the Baby Boy skit and the Lil Wayne performance (going forward, BET should require all rappers / artists to perform the radio edit of their songs). I could go on and on with the negativity of the show, but these two incidents rank highly on my list. The worse moment of the evening was when Ving Rhames an accredited black actor (Mission Impossible 1 & 2, Baby Boy, Pulp Fiction, Holiday Heart, and the list goes on) asked the crowd to say the following;  “Michael Jackson is a gun”. When was Michael Jackson ever a thug, hustler, or a street person? I felt awful for the family, friends, and fans of Mr. Jackson. An apology needs to be issued by BET and Ving Rhames for that moment. It was downright distasteful while his father and sister were present. Additionally, when editing it done for repeats that part should be removed. Let’s be professionals.

Wait, Jamie Foxx’s inappropriate jokes were extremely ill-mannered.  Honestly, did you think it was appropriate for him (Jamie Foxx) to ask millions of people, black and white children and adults alike, to look at his “camel toe”? …saying that Michael Jackson made it alright for men to touch their genitals? Are you serious? Was he serious? Did he even think before those words parted from his lips? Was that professional? What was he thinking?

June is recognized as Black Music Month and Sunday’s performances were neither in good taste nor the best representation of our music. I cannot nor will I deny those individuals whose performances rocked. Musically, Jamie (Foxx) did his best accompanied by Travis. As a fan of Michael Jackson and black music -period, those same artists could have performed a Jackson song throughout the night. Michael Jackson has a huge catalog; there aren’t any excuses for the lack of recognition.

Last but not least by any means, BET used today’s technology to inform the world that Chris “Breezy” Brown would be performing at the award show to pay homage to the greatest entertainer of our time. And what happens… NOTHING!!! If the rumors circulating around New York are true, I am even more disappointed in BET. I will not use this platform to name names; however, I will say this… no man is an island and untouchable. A lot of people have done wrong in their lives, publicly and privately, and to hold this “one” incident over this young mans head for the rest of his career and / or life is not fair. The Lord said it best, “ye without sin throw the first stone”. Based on news reports, YouTube clips, and fan encounters most of the artists that have appeared on your network in one form or the other over the years have sinned, and BET still support them. Simply said, Chris Breezy should have performed.

In closing, there was so much that could and should have been done. Once again, we get outshined by news outlets and “white” media because of the lack of consideration, lack of motivation, and people’s egos. It’s a shame that the generations after us will view this show on some social network or YouTube and wonder – “What the Hell?” It is disappointing to know that songs like Birthday sex, Boyfriend #2, and the like is what your network and labels are promoting today and then people question why there is increase in pregnancies and HIV infections. Back in the day, music used to uplift us, motivate us, encourage us, strengthen us, and represent us when there wasn’t much out there for us. We as a people danced, laughed, expressed ourselves, and cried through our music.

We all have a Michael Jackson song that rings supreme in our heart or soul.

Just imagine how many people were introduced to the BET network on Sunday and tuned in to watch this alleged tribute, and remember what they walked away with. Jamie Foxx’s tour, Alicia Key’s request for money, Tiny & Toya’s reality show, Frankie & Neffie reality Show, Mo’Niqua’s talk show, Wendy Williams show, etc…..Ms. Debra Lee please think about this the next time you open your mouth and insert your foot.

Forever a Black music fan, even during times of bewilderment,

Brown