The BET awards were on last night.For those of you who have never heard of nor watched them(wink wink),they are just like the Kora awards except that there is more money involved and more people watching.(or atleast less people sharing neighbors TV sets).
The awards are the ultimate manifestation of the black American cultural influence on the lives of many people across the world(ironically including Iraq and the rest of the Arab world).To African-Americans,it is the equivalent of the oscars, and long before the whites recognised the influence of Black entertainment,Mr Johnson cashed in.He took a half a million loan and made a profit of 3 billion dollars when he sold it to Viacom(the same guys who own MTV).
BET became a trend setting pioneer in Black entertainment and gave voice to the so many struggling artists from the hood including such contemprary pop culture icons like Jay Z and others.However in its overzealousness,it has also contributed to the degeneration of black music in by refusing to acknowledge the apparent mediocrity of the music industry.
And so the awards--a concept that has seen more mass reproduction than Paris Hilton's sex videos--are held each year. The now much coveted award goes to the few up and comers and ofcourse veterans whose influence on popular culture is honestly negligable. I mean like that transvestite-looking chick Ciara.Seriously apart from her singing that cheesy song"oh"and a constant bad hair day or weave depending on how drunk you are when you see her.
One thing is for sure though...Beyonce's booty has such a captivating and unsurpassed power over all genders ....and i should mention that,Halle Berry you can be my baby mama any day.
So, the show started amid funfare,Will Smith and his femme fatale Yada(in the spirit of their entrance) started off in style that paid tribute to their African heritage.
They also established some funny ground rules before the awards commenced,one of which was that you dont thank God in your acceptance speech unless you perform in church.That must have thrown off the many gangsta wannabe rap artists who attribute their overnight successes to selling drugs,pimpin dem ho's and the ofcourse the unseen hand of Jesus.
The highlight of the night however was when the Fugees took to the stage in a reunion that surprised all.They shouldnt have broken up in the first place because that is some talented bunch of guys.
For you fans in Africa who didnt have a chance to see them,despair not because I am sure you will all soon see the show when MNet decides to carry it.

As a some of you will remember,Will Smith is the man who brought us "Summertime" a clean sappy -go -round song in the 90's..
We danced away in our boarding schools, and impressed the chickas. For those of us who went to sch with the opposite gender,who can forget that slide-with-arms-in the-back,brightly colored outfits and hair cuts we all loved to call "French" huh.
I can't also forget that those days came once in a year and they were such big events in our redundant lives.For those in single boarding schools,it was the highlight of their miserable existence.Grace and Bob will live to tell the tale.That was the closest contact these guys would get to a female body in ages....four years to be precise.
But that's narry the reason that i write...i just join my voice with Will Smith, as he pleads with rap artists who have for the past decade hijacked our good music and transformed the music industry into a gangland of half assed concotions that tout violence as the only way of life.
Every song that is released these days won't sell unless it contains lyrics "fuck that Bitch".The music industry executives are equally guilty, otherwise how would you explain that they keep signing on these morons(unless they hold guns to their heads).
For chrissake,we can do better than Lil John...yeah...what...okay.Whatever happened to new age,socially conscious musicans like Common,Talib Kweli, Mos Def,and of recent Kanye West.
Heck i am guilty too, i reluctantly confess my own complicity in this festering crock of malfeasance we call civilization.I do indeed dabble in a little gangstarism myself time to time,i guess we all have a little rebelliousness in us.You should see me in my SUV when "shake it like a salt shaker" or when Fifty Cents "in da club" is on radio.I have even gone as far as downloading some of this music.(Those of you who recall the days of Napstar and Kazaa know what i talking about)
But i also enjoy listening to Marvin Gaye,Luther Vandros and Prince among others.The guys who sing about a whole range of human emotions, and not only anger.
Whatever the case,i was impressed that a mainstream artist like Will Smith stood up to these screwballs.It is about time that we listen to some real music like in the days of Michael Jackson.Music about love and other positive undertakings in our lives.Because,we are ultimately lifeforms with the knack to be emotional...and we like it.So lets not pretend that gangsta music is the ultimate representation of our inner selves.Yes we can rebel in life but we can love too.Imagine thirty years from now,seated on the porch of your house with your grand kids and all of a sudden a Fifty cents song plays...what are you gonna tell them."damn,that was my shit dog..wup wup"