B.E.T- (Black Entertainment Television) ‘The dismantling of a culture.”

For anyone to consider themselves a true Hip-hop fan or a representative of Hip-hop, they must first and foremost acknowledge the fact that they are a lover of B.E.T, it would be blasphemous to do anything less. B.E.T is the Mecca of Hip-Hop video’s, everything I know about Hip-Hop came primarily from watching B.E.T, therefore has to give recognition to the fact that without B.E.T Hip-Hop would not have grown into the World wide culture it is today.
Personally as a youth  I wouldn’t dare miss a episode of Rapcity, as an adult I couldn’t wait until the Basement came on and during my incarceration there isn’t an American prison TV that has cable (that I know of…) that isn’t on B.E.T 90% of the day. I mean truthfully speaking, on every yard I’ve ever been on, half of the prison population is watching 106 & park at 6:00 and the other half would be up till 2:00am watching B.E.T Uncut.
Yet on December 19, 2014 B.E.T last video show (106 & Park) was cancelled. As tear jerking as the final episode was. For me it was like watching the final nail being hammered into the coffin of Hip-Hop culture. Let’s be real… ‘B.E.T without video’s!’  Is like watching ESPN without sports. ‘Can you hear the fat lady singer?’

I wonder what Bob Johnson the founder of B.E.T is saying to himself right about now. The man started the company on a shoe string budget, constantly struggling to get the big corporate companies to buy commercial time, while surviving off the sponsorship of small black owned hair care companies and the sale of music video slots from independent Hip-Hop labels.
In the 80’s and 90’s the majority of it’s content were music video and it’s highest ratings came from it’s Hip-Hop segment Rap City and The Basement. So much so that it influenced the creation of the B.E.T Hip-Hop Award show. (the equivalent of a Grammy to the Hip-hop culture.)

The Dismantling of a culture

In 2000, Bob Johnson sold B.E.T to it’s primary competitor (MTV) parent company Viacom. I’ll never forget how the sale of B.E.T cause a major uproar amongst the Hip-Hop community. People were most concerned about the reformatting, firing of staff and Viacom limiting and censoring the African American voice on B.E.T.
14 years later, No B.E.T news, No RapCity or the Basement, and last but not least not a single video show in sight. I guess everyone’s concerns over a decade ago were valid. (Imagine that!)
As a fan of Hip-Hop culture good, bad or indifferent. It’s important that ‘we’ the Hip-Hop community be mindful and aware of what Media Super Power like Viacom are capable of and acknowledge the fact that those on their board of directors can give two %#$! about the state of Hip-Hop and how important is that it always has a uncensored venue in which it can continue to thrive. At the end of the day Viacom hustle is programs and they use this hustle to program the masses into believe what they want us to believe, is cool and the latest trend. As of right now they’re watering down and manipulating B.E.T viewers to think that what being provided to us on B.E.T currently is what ‘we’ want. It’s certainly not what I want! I want RapCity back I want to see video of unheard independent artist, and I want news that’s reflective of the people and the economic struggle everyone is facing.

That being said, media outlets like the old B.E.T and Convict Soap Box are and will remain to be the podium from which the true voice of the people will be heard. Serving you that raw and uncut info, exposing the fact that everything that glitter isn’t gold. Our editorials are like graffiti on the wall, our perspectives hardcore like gangsta rap and every sentence and paragraph is complimented by the abstract imperfect sound track of the faltering American dream.

Therefore the scope and purpose of this editorial is to inspire and enlighten the Hip-hop community, to get you to take notice of the strategic dismantling of a culture and one of it’s founding forums that help it flourish.  that being said, start supporting your “Real” independent media outlets, artist and entrepreneurs. Empower those who will later on empower you. You’ve done it before with B.E.T, now I’m requesting that you do once again for C.S.B (Convict Soap Box.) Because we the people should always dictate the success and failures of a culture and those represent it.