BET can actually get some accolades from me on their awards show for bringing out some of the finest singers in music to offset the rest of their mess. I wish they would have shown some international acts & their new award category to globalize their audience a bit & not have it always be more of the same monotony -as they had the same performers performing several times that night.  Hello BET- Black Entertainment is bigger than just a few artists from a few States- let’s broaden our scope & horizon just a bit so we can try to catch up to the rest of the world. The legends of Black & really world music came out , showed out & left the message for our young people to step up their game & as lifetime acheivement honoree Prince said “I was pretty wild in my younger days & you don’t have to do what I do. You don’t have to make any of the mistakes that I made. The future is in your hands“. I wished Prince would have graced us with a performance & possibly had a Wendy, Lisa, Sheila E, Morris Day & The Time tribute, but I was happy to see BET showcase something new to their audience with Esperanza Spaulding & Janelle Monae- who were handpicked by Prince along with Alicia Keys & Pattie Labelle to pay tribute to him. I must say the one thing that BET always does right is taking us to church with the gospel, hence the longest running show on BET being Bobby Jones Gospel. Kim Burrell is just beyond amazing to me & Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp, and Yolanda Adams brought their Sunday Best.

Pattie Labelle, Deniece Williams & OMG- El Debarge were simply amazing in reminding us that June is Black Music Month! Nia Long & Larenz Tate bringing us back to our “Love Jones”  was magically delicious because hearing “Brotha to the Night” was more than alright! I must say I was less impressed with the slew of new rappers who were heralded & could only shake my head while saying in my Jay Z voice “a million Kanyes”, which seems to be what we have to look forward to from rhyme style, production and even fashion, but just like there is only one Beyonce there is only one Kanye -so hopefully all the imitations will be weeded out soon after Kanye comes back to take his throne which he failed to do at the awards show-C’mon son-what was that? As for Mr. “I invented sex” Trey Songz, super #fail on having the audacity to do “Purple Rain” in front of the man who really invented sex, while knowing that Pattie Labelle was going to come on after you to do the same song- You get a million plus Prince side eyes for plain old being disrespectful to your elders-Please stay in your lane youngin’-SMH!

Diddy -really? You are becoming exhausting with the constant self promotion-if you are really the best then you wouldn’t have to keep reminding folks to notice you-Damn! Do you think you can ever replace Total, Biggie & Lil Kim with Dirty Money, Rick Ross & Nicki Minaj- get real! We all know you are the king of the remix, but you can’t remix talent -what next a new Mary J. Blige, Faith, Craig Mack etc.- let’s just say your new era midas touch is only working for the new era of auto-tuners who don’t really know any better. I love me some sexy chocolate Tyrese, but would have preferred to hear Jaheim to do the Teddy Pendergrass tribute because his soul no doubt can be heard thru Jaheim’s voice.  Eminem to me continues to show that he will forever be a staple in the rap game no matter how many imitations come along & also should wake rappers up that if you don’t want history to be re-written years from now where hip-hop is said to be invented by White rappers like Eminem, like Rock N Roll & Elvis Presley-then you better step up your games & not let Eminem show that he’s the best lyricist in the building because he’s not Afraid- Drops mike & walks away! The only dirty south rapper I can really stomach for the long term is T.I. since Outkast seems to not want to come back to the foolishness of today’s hip-hop. I was glad to see T.I. back as a man who accepts & apologizes for his mistakes, can laugh at himself & is on a comeback to be better than ever in doing his best to utilize his gifts & opportunities in every aspect of his life, from family to business & just plain old being a better human being who can fall down , pick himself back up & keep it moving in style. I love his clean grown man style that is not bedazzled, pants hanging down so low to expose his underwear to the world and just being able to be a rapper who has some class about him that debunks the usual stereotypes. I am surely rooting for him!

BET gave us what many say was Chris Brown’s comeback moment when he finally was able to get out from the dark cloud of forever being labeled an abuser to do what he does best, in hopes of truly turning his life around, repentance, seeking & getting forgiveness and changing his ways by making that change, as he ended his Michael Jackson tribute with those very words in an emotional break down of tears. His Michael Jackson tribute was fantastic & the tears at the end although questioned by many whether or not they were genuine or a very well thought out & brilliantly executed publicity stunt, made many hearts bleed for a young man who who deserves another chance just as we have given many other artists who have done the same wrong & still get our celebration (James Brown, R. Kelly, Miles Davis & the list goes on). In an era where all we seem to talk about is the breakdown of the Black family, the lack of Black women getting married and cheating spouses -BET chooses to honor a 4 months pregnant Alicia Keys whose “Baby Daddy” & soon to be husband just barely had the ink dried off from his divorce papers a month ago, leaving yet another Black woman to be a single mother who was cheated on to add to the statistics- I’m just saying-things that make u go hmmm!  The hypocrisy in our community continues to cause the type of confusion that repeats the deafening cycle of statistics because at this point who is really listening or caring when we pick & choose who we want to praise with a clearly biased moral compass. Many still refuse to forgive Chris Brown, but lest no man who has never done any wrong  & sought forgiveness place judgement & be the judge & jury of another man. We all need to look at the (wo)man in the mirror. At least Chris Brown has admitted he did something wrong & apologized for it, has pro “Superwoman” Alicia?

Diddy YAWN!

Yes-That’s alright baby that’s alright-LOL!

All Hail His Purple Badness! Still a Sexy Mother F@Ker