GOOD PERFORMANCES/GLAD TO SEE/WHAT I LIKED:
- Miami native Rick Ross gave a good performance and I was surprised. I think he's refreshing and Miami always gives us a fresh sound, as far as rappers are concerned (cause I love me some Trick Daddy and Trina - don't play).
- TI and Jermaine Dupri represented ATL very well (I'll talk about Monica later).
- The dudes from The Wire - I liked that BET had them presenting an award and the fact that BET is picking up The Wire, airing it starting in January, so that people like me, who don't have extended cable, can watch it.
- I loved the FREESTYLE sessions that they showed in between commercials. That was hot. I think it helped to separate the real rappers from the wack rappers. Also, there was a domination of rappers from the NYC, what was that about? Perhaps that says something about the Dirty South -- love ya, but some of y'all can't really flow, talking about rims is not flowing!
- I liked some of the categories: Hip Hop Hustla of the Year (Jay-Z, of course) and I like his quote when he accepted the award, "Men lie, Women lie - the Numbers don't!"; In other words, Haters, get to steppin!
- Another category that I loved: The Move The Crowd Award
- I loved when Busta Rhymes accepted his award and talked about fake MCs, "holding your crotch walking back and forth across the stage just to give a show" -- Basically he was giving homage to the REAL MCs and the amount of work it takes to put into performing and putting on a show and how we was mentored into the game.
- Kat Williams - He was a pretty good host! I loved his joke on Flava Flav and how Flava couldn't seem to stick to what was written on the teleprompters.
- TI - I can't help it, I'm biased, but I thought his performance was great! I think that he respresents the South very well! Not to gangsta, not to wack, but just right (I sound like Goldilocks huh!)
- I loved the homage they gave to Grand Master Flash as the first hip hop DJ -- He recieved the "I Am Hip Hop" award. I don't care what anyone says, there is nothing like old school DJing. Whatever happened to "the DJ", I mean someone who can really cut some records, mix it just right so that you stay on the dancefloor and sweat out your perm all night long. I haven't seen a DJ like that since college! Playing CDs is not DJing!
- The sponsorship - Did you notice? I like how sponsors prominently and intently sponsored awards. I remember when BET couldn't get a mainstream sponsor to show ads on their channel. Y'all remember the low budget ads that used to be on BET. Now companies can't wait to get their hands on our dollars! That's also another topic for another blog (later for that!)
- Kat Williams intro to Walk It Out! He talked about how we used to do dances like the Running Man and tire ourselves out and that today we just shake one shoulder and stand in one place. I thought it was hilarious!
- MVP of the Year - TI (again I'm biased!)
- Kat Williams and his Mr. Roger's Neighborhood parody to close the show! He highlighted the fact that there were no fights! (Don't act like we don't remember the Source Awards of the past!)
- New show on BET - American Gangster. It looks promising and I'm glad they are moving into another direction for programming with that show. I think that America spends a lot of time glamorizing and glorifying the white Organized Crime gangsters and we notice how not many of them are on anybody's death row. But somehow the crimes that black gangsters commit are worse and we get put on death row at much higher rates for committing the same crimes! I'm looking forward to see how BET puts this show together.
THE WORST OR WHAT THE....!
- Monica - You are not from the hood! You are from the suburbs like me. Let's lose the hood look because you don't rock it well and you look stupid! And I know it's been a while since you made an album, but always, always, always makes sure your weave is right! (cause it wasn't) And I heard you on your song, dissing the bougie girls....What, just because some of us are bougie doesn't mean we won't still whip some ass!
- Snoop Dogg - Ummm, Hang it up! I'm so tired of grown ass men wearing perms I don't know what to do! Plus he had Shirley Temple curls! (Yeah, that's masculine.) And the dancers during his performance were wack and broke down looking! And please stop giving shout outs to players. Most of the folks in Snoop's age group need to stop trying to be players anyway, so give it up!
- Ludacris and Young Jeezy's performance of the song "I grew up and I didn't screw up"....I understand the message but they were screaming at the top of their lungs and you couldn't understand a word
- What's up with all of the ugly, grilled up, out of shape negroes in the rap game? Come on, that's not a good look. They really need to start hitting the gym! Love you Rick Ross, but you need to do like Ruben Studdard and hit the fat farm or something! And to those men who are not rappers out here, just regular Joe Shmoe negroes on the street, get a clue, if you are not famous, and your name is not Fat Joe, it's not cute, you look ridiculous!
- Melissa Ford - Ummmm, First of all, she doesn't speak well, she totally screwed up the simple intro she was supposed to do, noone asked her to try to ad lib, stick to the script boo! And, YOU ARE NOT A MODEL, you are a video h-- (you fill in the blank). I have an official new word for people like her and Delicious (which is a topic for another blog) -- they are "Sideways Celebrities" - people who get into the celebrity game in a very non-traditional way (i.e., reality shows, videos, etc.) and then take away from the legitimacy of those actors and/or models who busted their asses climbing the ladder trying to make it.
- Flava Flav and Delicious - I'm speechless! Can we say he is just a grown ass buffoon?!? And it's so hard to believe that he had anything to do with Public Enemy!
- Strippers On Poles! - Come on BET! Is that what you do? Let Young Jeezy put stripper poles on the stage and have the audience watch a pole dance? You are not helping the cause of single black women as we combat the images of strippers slapping us in the face everywhere we go. It's bad enough that every other song and video is about strippers nowadays, come on! But I knew we couldn't get throught the show without something degrading! Thanks BET!
- Juelz Santana - What is going on? You are not Tupac and I need you to stop wearing the head band around your head as if you are? And what's up with your career, you a groupie now? And who was the guy doing push-ups in the corner during the performance, was he pledging or something?
- "I Am Hip Hop" Award - While I commend BET for giving Grand Master Flash this award, I don't like the fact that Grand Master Flash himself shouted out all of the famous DJs except Spinderella. What's up with that? Man, women still have it hard in the game.
- Keysha Cole - Why was she acting all nervous like someone was after her? Was she high? And why was she so unenthusiastic? Geez, don't come on to present if you are not going to be more pleasant!
- Why was the light-skinned girl from the group Escape sitting by TI? I know they were from ATL, but that's not one of his baby's momma's is it? Just checkin!
- Movie clip previews - Okay, this has nothing to do with the awards, but it's ironic that a movie clip for the new Will Smith movie, The Pursuit of Happiness, was airing during the BET show. Now, it is me, or is seeing Will Smith as an old man not very convincing?
- And why is Tupac releasing yet another album? (commercials)
Overall, the BET Hip Hop Awards were kind of like, Blah, nothing too exciting, nothing too boring, just Blah! While I wasn't that excited about this show, I am excited about some of the upcoming programming they are planning and I only pray that they continue to strive for better programming and since they now have competition from the likes of TV One, perhaps they will step up their game.
Peace & Love,
Kellea
