Just read this article by Dr Boyce called ‘BET Has Officially Become the New and Improved KKK‘..The title is no doubt provacative and so when I peeped it, I just knew he was gonna go in BET executives and raise the level of conversation.
I gotta say I was disappointed.. The article focused on Lil Wayne and his lyrics and how he had gotten the most BET Award nominations of any artist. There was no mention of the key decision makers.
I was even more disappointed when I peeped the follow up video where Boyce attempts to explain in more detail why he took shots at Lil Wayne and that he much he loves Hip Hop.
Its not that Boyce was incorrect in taking Wayne to task for some of his more unsavory lyrics. Artist are not immune to criticism and being challenged. But lets be honest, that happens all day everyday. People buy the albums, listen to the songs and express their opinions.. It was dope. It was wack. It gets 5 stars, 4 stars, 3 stars..
There’s an abundance of websites and blogs that put out album reviews. Lil Wayne routinely gets smashed on. He routinely gets praised.
There are also scores of radio shows where folks routinely weigh in on the merits of a particular artist. Conversations around Lil Wayne are not uncommon.
My point here is this…if Lil Wayne who Dr Boyce says he likes and listens to everyday, needed to be publicly checked for his off color lyrical content, there was ample opportunity to do so..Dr Boyce didn’t have to wait for the BET awards to come down on him..
I feel Dr Boyce missed the mark by not calling to task and specifically holding accountable the ‘KKK-like actions and decision making of BET senior executives like Debra Lee, Scott Mills, Stephen Hill etc….Why not make them household names and encourage folks to push for them to change their ways?
We should know the names and numbers of anyone who’s actions are on par with the ultimate goals of the KKK which is to destroy and forever eradicate Black people. (Folks can peep the list of executives who runs BET on their ‘media room fact sheet’ HERE ).
Forget Lil Wayne for a minute.. Let’s find out why BET president Debra Lee (pictured left) allowed Lil Wayne the platform? What was her decision making process? Who did she have sit around the table and weigh in on the production of the show? Are their standards that would lead to an artists not being given the exposure on BET? For example, If Lil Wayne was an avowed child molester would he have been honored or would he have been shunned?
Dr Boyce noted that he called out Lil Wayne because of the tremendous influence he has on young minds. That’s understandable..At the same time we have to note that Lee and her staff also allowed singer Chris Brown to perform. The man who made headlines for viciously beating his ex-girlfriend Rhiana also has influence….We saw Busta Rhymes performing and he’s been arrested in past for assault.
By granting these artists a worldwide audience are equally harmful messages being sent? But really the lesson that all of us need to know both young and old alike, is the how corporate power works and its relationship to Lil Wayne, BET and larger Black community?
Hence we need to discuss whether or not an artist like Lil Wayne is yielding so much power and clout that he can show up at the BET offices and force Debra Lee (pictured left) or show producer Stephan Hill to put him on the air?
We should be asking does the buck stop with Debra Lee and her staff or does she have to answer to Viacom executives like Sumner Redstone (pictured right) and Phillipe Dauman who own BET? Did they call her up and force BET to grant Lil Wayne a platform? In short who was really calling the shots and what do we as consumers do about this?
(You can peep the executives at Viacom which is home to VH1 and MTV over HERE . You can also peep the record setting amounts of money these Viacom executives make HERE. It’s a lot more than Lil Wayne..)
I liken the whole scenario to this.. If I was hired to babysit your kids and decided to show them x-rated movies, upon finding out my misdeeds who do you as a parent hold accountable? me the babysitter who presented the movie or the adult TV stars?
Lil Wayne put out a product which again, can and should be challenged but that’s the easy way out.. It’s harder to but necessary to take the fight to executives at BET who for whatever reason decided to honor not only Lil Wayne, but artists who are similar in terms of having questionable product.
I feel Dr Boyce should’ve smashed directly on them and lit a fire under their feet. Don’t let them hide behind the BET logo.Name names… And yes if the price you pay is these BET executives don’t ever invite you back on their shows.. so be it.. No one said speaking truth to power is easy..
Something top Ponder
-Davey D-
These are such important questions to ask. How did these artist end up on stage and in our living rooms (or youtube windows)? Somebody put them there, probably because it is going to lead to more profits for their corporation. It seems like there is an endless spiral here. Execs give them radio play and air time, so people hear them more and buy their music. Because people shell out the cash and make it at hit, execs give them more airtime which leads to more sales, and so on.
So what do we do about this? Davey D had a platform and his voice is heard. What about the average dude, what can we do? Obviously we can not buy certain music, but what else?
Stop Hatin’ on Lil’ Wayne. He got mad talent.
Lil Wayne is only part of the problem , but we gotta start somewhere.
To get the most bang for your buck,
Boycott the sponsorsof all BET shows .
Email the companies and let them know
why you are boycotting their products.
Sponsors of the 2011 BET Awards include
Ford, Coca Cola, Sprint, Domino’s, Starbuck’s and Macy’s.
Boycott the sponsors of any media that publishes apologies for
this poison and attacks on Dr. Watkins.
When racist whites boycotted the sponsors of
The Nat King Cole Show because he sang duets with white
women, the show was immediately canceled.
Like Chuck D and Public Enemy said ,”Shut Em Down!”
Someone on another forum asked, What would a boycott of BET’s sponsors do?”
1. The sponsors would not buy commercials on BET.
2. No commercials – no BET awards – no more BET. Period.
3. If BET did survive, it would not play vids by other Shyt Hop Artists.
4. Conscious, pro-Black Hip Hop could possibly shine again.
5. It would send a shock wave thru the media world.
6 . Other networks would drop Shyt Hop like a hot potato.
7. Record labels would sign new artists in the vein of X Clan,
Public Enemy, The old Queen Latifah, Dead Prez,
Arrested Development,Poor Righteous Teachers, etc etc etc.
Art imitates life, but BLACK kids imitate what they see in music videos.
Lil wayne and BET are just part of the problem
This boycott is just part of the solution.
A MAJOR PART OF THE PROBLEM IS THAT
WE OVER -ANALYZE AND DO NOTHING!
JUST DO IT.
“Conscious rap” (which is just as stupid for the most part) does as much if not more harm than BET. It gives people who listen to all this infantile bullshit the false impression that these entertainers are something more than sociopaths exploiting the uneducated public for a buck – and THEY KNOW IT. The Commons, Chuck D’s, Krs Ones and a small handful of others have truly legitimized all this trash as a “culture” when in fact youth attraction to “HipHop” is really just the result of parents neglecting their kids and not having an educated lineage to hand off to them – just like any other bullshit UNDERCLASS LIFESTYLE.
and again – THEY KNOW IT!
You want to do something positive and “conscious” ??
Burn the WHOLE thing down. Including all the “conscious” rap sociopaths masquerading as social activist ….. and put this nonsense in it’s proper context.
Until then, everyone and their mom should financially exploit this shit to the hilt.
I kind of admire Viacom and BET in that regard. At least they know how to put trash in it’s proper receptacle.
““Conscious rap” (which is just as stupid for the most part) does as much if not more harm than BET.”
Bullshit. let’s see some proof or at least a credible argument. this is just haterade…
I did, you omitted it. It was the rest of the post. You simply decided to ignore it.