Brainwashed Entertainment Television.

I don't really have a problem with television networks at all. The republicans have taken over the media spotlight so virtually every newscast is biased to the views of a conservative audience. It irks me, but, I don't really sweat it because my TV isn't even on too often.

For a while, I was hatin' hard on MTV for their lack of all around good programming. Nevermind my Real World and Room Raiders addiction, they just seem to play the same garbage music that has the American youth fitting stereotypes based on what they think is 'cool.'

Man, I was so wrong. My discontent was focused at the wrong network. After reading up on BET's banning of the Little Brother "Loving It" vid, De La Soul's "Shopping Bag" vid, and the last 3 vids released by The Beatnuts, I'm pretty much through.

The jist of it is this; BET is trying to keep up their ratings by their own hypocrisy. During the day, you'll find an overflow of music videos. You'll definitely get your fix on A. Keys, Kelly Price, Jill Scott and other neo-soul artists, and BET isn't shy about reppin' the past but the problem is their twist on hiphop.

Rap City is f**king garbage. Before this new wack-ass, instigating host, before Big Tigga's "everybody's madd tight" friendly attitude, rap city was the new school "Yo! MTV Raps." Not only did you get a fill of what was relevant to a mainstream audience, but the needs of the underground were satisfied as well.

Now this isn't one of my "f**k mainstream music" rants, because I like mainstream music. I'm a Kanye West fan, remember? My issue with BET is their promotion of bad music advocating everything the late-night televangelists preach against. As a network, they uphold a common mission and goal to uplift the black community and enlighten, not only the community, but the world on black music, culture and history.

At 6am, Creflo "Imma Steal Yo" Dollar preached a damn good sermon about the resurgence of materialism, mysogyny and blatant violence in hiphop. C. Dolores Tucker isn't an activist that I'm fond of, but I felt what she was saying when she talked about some of these rappers inadvertently destroying the minds of the black youth. Well, its a new day, and BET is mainstream.

Before, I could turn on BET and catch a music video that made me laugh at some decent humor, made me smile at a good moral or made me support the artist based on a damn good song (like I would if I saw Little Brother's video on rotation). Now, all I see is the same thing. Studio gangstas talking about what they have (or what their advance allows them to have as long as they have a hot single and they don't breach their contract agreements), what they've done (studio gangstas imply that they're only thugs on the track and that the majority of these rappers commit nothing more than petty crimes) or hoes (love and sex) songs that degrade women.

What's really starting to bother me is that we, as a youth, not just a black youth, but as American youths (in general), don't take personal responsibility on the matter and say, "This is some bullshit," and turn it off, or stop the downloads. Its sad that there's a 10 billion dollar/year business being fueled by the garbage of false representation. I can guarantee that if I asked 10 random people on my friends page (male or female; city or suburb) what the difference between hiphop and rap is and they wouldn't know.

Delving deeper into the matter, I know my tastes may differ from the tastes of someone else's. But anytime the bass on the Mike Jones album can cloud your judgement on him being trash, then there's a huge problem. He's not garbage because of his lack of talent or chronic narcissism, he's garbage because he's a studio gangsta contributing to the problem. Since when was beating your girl and acting like a damn fool an attractive quality in a man? Shit, I must have it all wrong with chivalry and respect.

This begins to add to this social issue of acting a certain color. Yes, there are certain cultural differences that you must embrace in order to take pride in your own heritage. But when someone black tells me, "You might as well dress like us (pseudo-thugs) 'cause to err'body else, you still a nuttin' but a nigga," then I know a new day of "in the closet" racism is dawning. This isn't the racism of the past where white people dominated an entire country with fear and intimidation, but this racism is self induced.

Acting/dressing like a thug isn't cool. Reppin' a hood that you aren't from will get you killed dealing with the wrong/right people. Trying to imitate the theatrics of these <i>actors</i> in music videos will do nothing but make you look like an idiot. Before this becomes overkill to another degree, I'll wrap it up with a quick line from Murs.. "My culture's not a trend/being black is not in/ but for you its just a trend you're gonna have to transcend."

Hip-hop music isn't something that you should be quick to turn off if your parents get in the car with you. It shouldn't be something to embarrass you if your (insert race here) friends hear you listening to something other than the genre your race is expected to listen to. If thats where we are as a musical culture, we have a lot of progress to make. Turn down the noise, turn up the music.