In the best of these times, James Brown won the Lifetime Achievement Award and even though he’s 72 years old, he kicked it like he was 22. Michael Jackson surprised him by throwing a cape over him (a classic James Brown move for all you super youngsters) and got choked up when he presented him with the Award, saying that since he was six years old, James Brown was the greatest entertainment influence on his life. Wow. When they danced together and showed how our traditions are passed down, I think every drum in Africa was beating at that moment. In the best of times, Beyonce’ rocked the house and tore it up last night, no doubt. Not only does she seem to have inherited Tina Turner’s legs but she proves she is a dynamic entertainer and unlike so many of these other artists, she can actually sing her ass off. You go Beyonce’ and I give props to Jay-Z, too. Maybe next year I’ll write an article about why they shouldn’t break up but the jury is still out. Even one of the announcers said “She’s with Jay-Z? Oh, something’s wrong. I should be with Halle Berry, then.” Unlike Beyonce’s talent, grace and style, the worst of these times showed Lil’ Kim starting off in a cute ripoff of “Drumline” but ended up a complete flop. Her outfit and her wig were a complete and total mess. And 50 Cent left her hanging by not singing “Magic Stick” with her so she did it alone - and it was a bomb. Poor Lil’ Kim. I guess when you only live by your T & A, that it’s easy to forget that, as they say, the only thing better than p*ssy is new p*ssy. Tsk. But continuing in her tradition . . . 

In the worst of these times, 50 Cent won for Best Male Hip Hop Artist and in the best of ‘em, Missy Elliott got her just due. In the worst of these times, Snoop and Pharrell’s “Beautiful” won for Best Collaboration OVER the obviously more popular “Dilemma” by Kelly and Nelly or even “Love of My Life” with Erykah Badu and Common. The absolute worst was Snoop and Pharrell performing their hit tune to a bunch of “models” strolling down the runway into the happily open arms of Bishop Don “Magic” Juan whose presence almost dominated the stage in his bright green and gold clown suit. At least the other pimp was in a white suit and seemed to blend in with the lights and, hopefully, disappeared. The best was India Arie winning for Best Female R&B and even better was her acceptance speech (peep the quote below). The worst was Baby telling Rakim (of Eric B. and Rakim fame) that he looked up to him because he was a pioneer bling-blinger back in the day. Of all things to remember the fabulous Rakim for, it’s that stupid shit? Amazing . . . The best was Queen Latifah winning for Best Actress, finally. The worst was BET giving Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher, Biker Boyz) his award earlier in the show. We had to put up with 50 Cent, Snoop and R. Kelly but Derek Luke has to be awarded earlier?! The worst of the worst is that w didn’t see either the Queen or Derek or Serena, for that matter, at all.  

The best of the absolute best (before I get to the worst of the absolute worst) was the dynamic tribute to Jam Master Jay by four of the best DJs in the world (DJ Premiere, Kid Capri, Grandmaster Flash and Jazzy Jeff), introduced by DMC himself. This, alone, redeems much of what was horrible of the BET Awards show. These DJs went all the way back and showed what Hip Hop is really about. Their artistry, mastery of their craft, all of it was self-evident and spoke to the absolute genius, creativity and ingenuity that still exists within our community. I hate to say that if it wasn’t for MTV paying full tribute to Jam Master Jay for so long, BET might not have come correct because you know how they do. But this time, the DJs really did save our lives. As if it couldn’t get any better, the montage of Magic Johnson’s Humanitarian activities were astounding. It’s not just that he owns some T.G.I. Friday’s or Starbucks or Theatres. It’s that he has chosen to heavily invest in the ‘hood like no other. And he is just one person. And don’t forget that he OWNS A BANK with Janet Jackson. Is our money in their bank? What has your bank done for you lately besides not give you a loan? In addition, Magic’s Non-Profit foundation showed his dedication to OUR health, awareness, education and well-being. No matter what anybody says (and maybe it was facing his immortality that really woke him up to his destiny), Magic has done more than a lot of folks and deserves to be commended, even beyond this Awards Show. But to top it all off, his speech hit the nail on the head. He reminded everyone that we ALL come from the ‘hood and need to invest in our own communities and take care of our own and give something back. He also told the audience that there were a lot of millionaires in the room and if they were smart and decided to handle their money right, they could still be millionaires decades! from now and really work to improve their communities. Damn, if I had closed my eyes or maybe just read the speech somewhere, I would have that the person speaking was Minister Farrakhan or [Insert Your Favorite Black Nationalist That You’ve Overlooked For Years]. Go ‘head, Magic. Go ‘head! 

But alas, I should have known my high wasn’t going to stay there. The beginning of the worst was Bob Johnson’s speech before giving Magic Johnson the Humanitarian Award. He tried to compare himself to Magic and his works. Maybe I’m wrong, but since when did Bob Johnson have a NON-PROFIT foundation? Since when has he looked out for anybody other than himself? This is a serious question. And how on Earth is his work comparable to what Magic Johnson has accomplished in just ten years? Bob Johnson is a BILLIONAIRE. Magic is a MULTI-MILLIONAIRE. Yet Magic has done more in ten years than Bob has done in forty. Now, pardon me if I can’t add but I just don’t see how the two relate. But that was just the beginning of the Fall. At the end of the show, there was a bit of confusion when Ruben Studdard and Brian McKnight announced that artist, Jaheim, had won Best Male R & B and then Ronald Isley said that R. Kelly won. Jaheim wasn’t present but Aruh Kelly came out and made some of the smartest and dumbest comments ever in the history of Awards shows. But you know we’re pretty intolerant here at Playahata so bear with me. I say this because his "bass ackwards" statement was that because so many people have stood behind him and showed him love, anybody who needed to, could come to him for a loan. I swear, you won’t believe it until you see it. And that was the smart comment. The dumb comment was that because of their support for him and him getting the Award, etc., it showed that it was Black people really sticking together. I grew ill. I know that R. Kelly may appear to have gotten more media attention for his underage porn videos as opposed to the Catholic bishops and priests who molested little boys and girls and/or turned a blind eye to it. But what are we doing? First of all, no Catholic Bishops or priests were asked to perform in front of the whole wide world in the Olympics. And no matter what, no Catholic Bishops or priests were dumb enough to videotape themselves urinating on their sexual conquests. So, no matter what people say, Aruh Kelly brought the extra media attention onto himself. But beyond that, I felt so sorry for all of those teenage girls. Because if standing up for Aruh Kelly means Black people really sticking together ....then what does it mean for us to NOT stand up on behalf of these girls? It’s a sad, sad day in hell.... and the worst part about his dumb ass comment is that so many people clapped and parroted what he said later. You all should be ashamed of yourselves. But I’m not gonna put it all on BET because the show was a reflection of all of our values, no matter how contradictory, ridiculous and conflicted they may be. If the end of the show provides any glimmer of hope, just when I thought Aruh Kelly was gonna win for Best video, it went to Erykah Badu and Common’s “Love of My Life.” So maybe the best of the best of times are coming soon to a community near you.

“I have a motto that I use for myself and my music and it’s . . . .spreading love, energy and right human relations through the conscious use of the power of music and words.” --- India.Arie

And in case you were wondering, the BET award winners went something like this: 

Best New Artist - 50 Cent

Best Male Hip Hop Artist - 50 Cent

Best Male Athlete - Kobe Bryant

Best Female Athlete - Serena Williams

Best Group - B2K

Best Female Hip Hop Artist - Missy Elliot

Best Female R&B Artist - India.Arie

Best Gospel Artist - Yolanda Adams

Best Actor - Derek Luke

Best Actress - Queen Latifah

Viewer's Choice Award - B2K

Male R&B - Jaheim and R. Kelly (Tie)

Best Collaboration - Snoop and Pharrell for "Beautiful"

Video Of The Year - Erykah Badu & Common for "Love of My Life"