Little Brother "Lovin It" video banned from BET

I've been sitting on a longer Little Brother article for about a week now.  I thought that attention should be directed towards the Hurricane Katrina efforts on this and other blogs. 

I saw Little Brother at Slims in San Francisco last Wednesday, and they killed the packed house.  You could tell from looking around that there were people there who hadn't been to a hip hop show since circa 1994, and other cats who were drowning in MTV/VH1/BET hip hop propaganda and wanted a breath of fresh air. 

I'm going to blow out that longer article later on tonight when I get home from work.  In the meantime check the short audio snippet below (courtesy of Nabs on the trickology message board).  9th calls out BET for banning their video.  BET claims that the video, which includes quintessential club scenes and scantally clad women, was "too intelligent for their audience."  I shit you not.

9th Wonder Interview

Comments

[Joey Pinkney]

You ever watch things happen in reality and think, "Damn, that looks like its straight outta a movie or something!" In some aspects, that's BET to me. Don't get me wrong, I watch it... It's just that things like this is astounding, and should be in a movie.

[ian]

> 9th calls out BET for banning their video. BET claims that the video, which includes quintessential club scenes and scantally clad women, was "too intelligent for their audience." I shit you not.

Or so 9th claims. The reality is more likely that their video has probably not been playlisted by BET because it's getting little to no commercial radio airplay. Mainstream hip hop is a big boys' game nowadays and, as talented as LB are, I don't think they are making the kind of records that BET would play out the gate or have a big enough fanbase to justify BET feeling like they have to play their video. Not hate, real talk...

[Slimberg Jackson]

Thats bullshit, because BET at VERY least could give them airplay on Uncut... not all the videos on Uncut have ass'n'titties in em.
Secondly... since when does BET decide how smart we are?
According to BET we cant even READ right? We are still dumb brutes? THIS IS WHAT COMMERCIALISM HAS DONE TO US !!

[obifromsouthlondon]

you know it will be interesting if a big went out on a limb and supported a song cos it's just plain good. Are all the executives mindless, profit driven drones? Risk does make money ya heard. I've seen the LB video and can't get with that mindset that a song must have commercial airplay before it's video is aired. What sort of bullshit, totem pole runnings is that? Yeah I know real talk but what? I just watched the UK Mercury awards and though it's more a rock type setup you could feel the proceedings. merit counted for everything. who owns BET anyway? "Black Entertainment Television" is a joke.

[black thought]

yo ian shut the hell up little brother is true hip hop and always will be u just listen to all that wack stuff like 50 cent,lil john, u aint nothing u think u know hip hop but you dont we are all blinded by propaganda and all that fake stuff its hip hop pop sprinkle colded hip hop it doesnt even desserve being called hip hop its straight pop and everything is violence and drugs and girls and mansion its all about the money not like it used to be for the love of the music to spread a message a positive out look on things so one love to those who love hip hop 4 real just keep it real but those who say that crunk is real hip hop and that shitty excuse 4 hip hop they call reggeton yall suck so PEACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 BLACK THOUGHT PRODUCTIONS MIAMI,FLORIDA.

[pule]

i,ve seen&listen 2hiphop music from america eversince i can remember and now i'm hocked on some afrikan s33$t now its our turn as afrikan youth 2embrace what is originaly our .if u do not undustand i mean music,beat ,rithyme and mostabove all the sound drums .now we gowing
buck home baby afrikan style.peace in afrika and wellfare in new orleans and above all GOD bless the dark child

[pule]

i,ve seen&listen 2hiphop music from america eversince i can remember and now i'm hocked on some afrikan s33$t now its our turn as afrikan youth 2embrace what is originaly our .if u do not undustand i mean music,beat ,rithyme and mostabove all the sound of
drums .now we gowing
buck home baby afrikan style.peace in afrika and wellfare in new orleans and above all GOD bless the dark child

[DJ Amaz-n]

I agree. I think that this whole commercialization of Hip-Hop has created a monster that is getting out of hand. Common said on I used to love H.E.R, "...if you got an image and a gimmick, then you can make money, and she did it like a dummy" Hip-hop has lost the orginalilty that it once had. BET is like every radio station in the country, by controlling what the listner/viewer hear and watches. and if played enough you (the listner/viewer) will eventually like. Therefore if they play the damn song it will get the commercial success needed.

[ian]

Did I question whether LB were "real" hip hop? My point was that BET, as a division of Viacom, is now set up to play hit records by major artists. Uncut aside, which I agree LB should be able to get some airplay love on maybe, don't hold your breath expecting to see these cats in rotation there unless their single catches fire at commerical radio.

The days of underground and progressive hip hop being competitive in the mainstream, commercial music world is over. Yeah, maybe the powers-that-be should take some greater chances on more underground or leftfield artitsts but, as of now, there'll be only a handful of those kinds of artists who will get a real shot in that world from here on out each year based on what's going on now. Common and Kanye took a couple of those slots already in 2005 and Outkast, The Roots and Lauryn Hill/Fugees will probably grab the rest if they come out this year.

[nitram]

oh crap... were in trouble. in my 30 years ive seen a lot of "beginnings of the end" this is another-lost hope in the minds of the youth not because of just missing family units or evil distractions but simply low expectations-hip hop and every body else had better find entertainment where they can and brace for impact common sense true talent and decency have just absorbed a devestating combo and will be reeling until the end of our time. fugees come out and i wonder if the lessons will even be assimilated from the music. devil 99999999999999...humans..0-oh well,keep fighting everythings individual now,by that i mean morals and lack of taste.

[martin]

music hits points on the brain and unites learning centers within some call it brainwashing...it is older than our speices- treat it as such. it is seductive and we will be held accountable for its influences.

[B J]

It is all bullshit, it doesn't matter who owns BET. Viacom's owned BET since 98/99, and I've seen some of the most low-budget post booty mixx videos played on UnCut. Black Jesus would never even come close to sellin even a fraction of as many albums as Lil Jon or 50 or whatever, but they'll let his video get played. Little Brother said it best, Rap City's startin to look more like Video Soul.

[Eric]

Hey why does LB have to be hated on? Hey they just actually sayin things in their songs unlike wack songs that I dont what to call- The Laffy Taffy video. I mean thats the dumbest shit ever thought of, but ppl like I guess. Hey
I dont watch BET cuz most of the videos and songs on there is dumb + Black Entertainment Television is owned by a white guy.

[true story]

ok first of all black thought you need to chill the fuck out ..

how are you gonna judge a man over the computer? let alone period

"oh you dont know shit about hip hop blah blah"

....and you do? ..its just the internet ..we're all opinionated here ..

move the fuck on ...

secondly I'd like to make a point that mainstream rap isnt all that bad ..its just that some people have been sucked into the underground so far anything with the cheesiest sound to it youre automatically gonna hate on it and claim that hip hop is dead ..eh, whatever its your opinion. Personally i dont mind hearing 50 cent or Lil John all day ..sitting through 3 or 4 miuntes of ENTERTAINING ..music isnt gonna kill you.

Now, about the LB situation. Yeah, its fucked up ..how are they gonna promote they album with no videos? And that Lovin' it song isnt even all that "intelligent" ..no offense to them ..but it certainlt has the capabilities of being on BET ..especially with that hot hook wit the sample ..9th did a good job. Everybody I know who doesnt know a thing about LB saw the video on MTV and said it was a good song ..so whats BET problem here?

[lala]

i dont think all hip hop is bad. there is some rappers out there with common sense to know that kids lke me are going to look up to them so they dont need to put certain things on their music.Take rapper common for example he talks about obstacles in life. like AIDS, love, peace, war,hunger in africa,racism,etc.He is saying it isn't all about the women, cars,jewlery, money,and clothes or how much money he got

[Ondergrond.TV]

Check out this Little Brother YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YyWCD8Vywo