BIG IDEAS

This strongly-worded e-mail landed in my mailbox today from an executive at BET, who just resigned. I double checked with the source and checked another. It is, according to all sources, legit. Many people leave a job with a fantasy of such a letter in mind. Few take the opportunity. BET, for its part, certainly deserves the space to counter-attack, and I’ll give it to them should they decide to. But for now, read and either be surprised, affirmed or ambivalent:

To friends, colleagues and those that should know,

As of today (September 8, 2009) I am no longer the Executive Editor of Music at BET.com.

Upon entering the position at BET I said that I needed one year to see what really went on inside the belly of the beast. I needed 365 days to sleep with the enemy and infiltrate the system. One year to see if they REALLY wanted change at BET.

As someone who has been critical of BET for many years, it surprised many that I would leave my post at HipHopDX last year to take a position at BET. But it was an opportunity I absolutely had to take. I could no longer be critical of this company without accepting the opportunity to change it when given. Although I was hired to bring about change, I was systematically shut down. I wasn’t hired to make noise, I was hired to be silenced.

The truth of the matter is that everything that you thought was wrong with BET is true.

Over the past year I’ve seen a lot to reinforce my position that BET is too far gone in the negative to turn into a positive. We have all always thought the worst, but to actually see it in action is another thing in its entirety. The unprofessionalism, the tom foolery, the favors, the misappropriation of resources, the bad ideas that reinforce negative stereotypes, the emasculation of men, the meetings that break down in full fledged cursing battles, the unpaid overtime, the tears from employees scared for their underpaid and overworked positions and ultimately the unwillingness to change are all harsh realities that I’ve witnessed firsthand.

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Blogging the BET Awards. ALL TIMES IN CENTRAL TIME when noted, so don’t fuss at me about inaccuracy.

5pm CST: Opening of the Red Carpet - Hey are my kids going to able to watch this. Booty shots from the jump. TIVO button. Kids, go work on your workbooks.

6:15 (or so): Arsenio Hall - Good to see. Good words. Important to hear of Michael Jackson’s sense of humor. Interesting that MTV has been very quiet about the fact that no Black artists got airplay before Michael. Even more interesting that it’s being said frequently by folks on BET, another child of the same Viacom corporate parent as MTV.  That actually speaks well, oddly enough, of Viacom in terms of creative freedom.

6:30 CST:  Debra Lee. Looking pretty hot. “Michael watched out for BET and made sure we got videos at the same time as MTV.”  Good for Mike.

6:46:  Who? More booty. Kids out of the room so I ain’t that mad at ‘em. Edited lyrics? Why put him on?

7pm: New Edition. Good to see. Performance? -Meh.

7:26: Ne-Yo. Good for you, brother. Well done version of Lady in My Life.

7:32: From reports - Michael Jackson’s father appeared on the red carpet before the BET Awards ceremony Sunday night, saying he has “a lot of concerns” about the last moments of his son’s life and personal physician.

“I have a lot of concerns,” Joe Jackson told CNN’s Don Lemon. “I can’t get into that, but I don’t like what happened.”

7:35: Jamie “Blame it on the Alcohol”. Really one of my favorite songs right now, and I’m not a huge fan of most of what I hear on regular radio, but it rocks undeniably. HOWEVER, Auto Tune does NOT translate well live. Also, noticing that Jamie Foxx, while a good performer, stalks the stage Chris Rock-like back and forth - the way a standup comic does.  Not as effective in a musical performance. Eyes need to focus when you’re listening.

8pm: Beyonce singing Ave Maria in a… hey, what is that anyway? Kinda Victoria’s Secret, kinda angelic, kinda slutty wedding dress, kinda Marilyn Monroe with the dress blowing up - cute

9pm: Tweet. Facebook. Blog. Tweet. Tweet. Vodka. Facebook. Wait. Blog. Why am I doing this again?

9:01pm: Jay Z. Death of Auto Tune. Guitar player plays like Bobby Womack on “Nobody Wants You When You’re Down & Out”. Thanks you, Jay for a real band and real music

9:15: Did somebody say Tevin Campbell?

9:20: Tyrese Gibson makes OJays tribute all worth it.

9:28: Passing around on Twitter: “I wish BET died and Michael Jackson was doing a tribute to it.” - Classic

9:29: Don Cornelius, love you brother. Sharper than a tack, but man, you gotta get off stage.

9:50: Idris Elba and Sherrie Shephard. How many women are hating on Sherrie right now?

9:52: Debra Lee thanking Joe Jackson on behalf of BET. Finally, it’s looking like an actual tribute to Michael. Oops, wait.  Maybe not. This is the Humanitarian Award for Wyclef and Alicia Keys.

10:30: Really? Seriously? Drake & Lil Wayne and a bunch of 12 year olds. Have you noticed the increasingly long breaks between posts? Switching back and forth to True Blood. Is is really worth it to put a group on live that you have to use the 7-second delay for?

10:37: Did I miss the Michael Jackson tribute? Or was that the opening act only?

10:38: You know what, I’m done. Life’s too short. Goodnight.

10:39: OK. I’m back. Janet Jackson in the house: ” My entre family wanted to be here tonight but it was too painful. To you Michael was an icon. To us he’s family. But he will forever live in all of our hearts…”

There were rumors earlier of a Janet performance, but not to happen.

10:40: The tribute starts: “I’ll Be There” sung by Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo to solo piano with a photo montage in the backdrop. Nice. Stop there. They did. Good. Now goodnight.