"The Rap on BET": Q&A with Lee & Hudlin and the reactions.

[Hulkster]

http://www.ajc.com/search/content/opinion/stories/2007/10/14/betqa10141.html

THE RAP ON BET: Q&A / DEBRA LEE & REG HUDLIN, BET executives: 'We have standards at BET'

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 10/14/07
 
BET's top executives say they have limits on the language, misogyny and violence they will tolerate in music videos aired by the network. But they also say will not "get into the total censorship game."

In an interview Friday with the AJC editorial board, CEO Debra Lee and entertainment president Reg Hudlin criticized the Maryland minister (see accompanying article) who has been leading protests outside Lee's home for the past four weekends. "I just think quite frankly it's a punk move," Hudlin said.

The two said they tread carefully around the line of what's art and what's offensive when it comes to hip-hop videos. Here is an edited transcript of their comments:

Q. You're still running this video programming that shows women in various stages of undress, you have rappers who are talking about the thug life. Do you think that it's appropriate in this day and age for you to be promoting these kinds of images for black audiences, especially younger black audiences.?

Debra Lee: We have standards at BET. We have lots of give and take with the music labels about what's appropriate and what's not appropriate. We don't allow any of the language on that people have been talking about lately, whether it's the b-word, the f-word, the s-word, whatever. We have never allowed that. Music labels always give us clean versions. And we have a committee of folks that reviews videos. And they will send them back and say, "That shot's not allowed. Take this shot out." It's such a subjective thing, and depending on your viewpoint, you may not agree with where we come out on the standards issue. But we do have standards.

And it's important to young people. For example, "106 & Park" is the top 10 music videos of the day. We don't select them. The people that are buying the music select them. And that's our young people. ...

I think you will see —- and you've already started to see —- the music change. If you look at "106 & Park" today it's more of a teenybopper show with dance moves, and we're moving away from gangster rap. ... We don't want to be in the total censorship game, where we just say, "Oh, well, as a 53-year-old woman, I don't like it, so we're not going to play it." That's not fair to the artist. It's not fair to our audience. ...

Reg Hudlin: We play the full range of black music. The reality is black music has always been controversial. When it was jazz coming out of a whorehouse, people said, "This is going to be the end of the world." When Elvis Presley was channeling James Brown, people said, "That's the end of the world." Black music —- i.e., black sexuality —- has always been criminalized. That's nothing new. Thank God we have BET.

And there's another presumption at the heart of this: that black youth aren't very bright, that they can't discern fantasy from reality, that they're lemmings, and they'll imitate whatever they see. I think that's a very unfair characterization. I find them to be very smart, very clever. Teenagers like things that drive their parents crazy. That doesn't mean these kids are destined for prison.

Q. You talked about certain words you won't permit on the air and about sending videos back to the labels. Where do you properly draw that line? Why not say the objectification of women is not something we'll permit on our network? Or the glorification of coke dealing or arming yourself and shooting somebody is not something we'll permit?

Hudlin: These are the debates we have internally all the time. What is the separation line between healthy sexuality and sexual exploitation? ... People's dividing line in terms of what's sexy and fun, and what is offensive and objectification, is subjective. We don't want to offend anybody. We want to entertain people. If what we're doing is offending people, that's a problem.

To me the negative-positive image game is a losing notion, because it inherently denies the concept of art. If you say that negativity is bad no matter what, then you know what you don't have? You don't have "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." You don't have "The Autobiography of Malcolm X." You don't have "The Color Purple."

In fact, half the black literature classics would be swept off the shelves because, you know what? They're negative. Despite the fact that those are all stories that are ultimately transformative and inspiring, the fact is they deal with the ugly realities of life. Now there are musical artists which, in their own way, in their own medium, aspire to the same level of artistry. And there are hacks, which rely on the tired cliches to make a buck. We like to celebrate artists. And we like to eliminate hacks. And I think that's actually a more worthwhile criteria then saying positive or negative.

Lee: All programming is not for all ages. We rate our programming through the day. We make that clear. Parents shouldn't put their kids in front of any channel and say, "Watch it all day. This is the road map for how you want to lead your life."

Q. Would you like to say anything about the protests at your home?

Lee: Protests at my home are totally inappropriate. We have a large office in D.C., and it's a great place to come and protest. Unfortunately, this individual found out that he could get more press by coming to my house. It's just wrong. Given the fact that I sat down with him and tried to hear his concerns, and tried to explain the new programming we're doing, tried to engage in a dialogue. But when you start with a zero-tolerance policy —- I don't like that video and you should take it off.

Hudlin: I just think quite frankly it's a punk move.

Of course now there are those TRYING to imply that Reggie called the man gay:

http://whataboutourdaughters.blogspot.com/2007/10/reginald-hudlin-calls-pastor-coates-of.html

Those of us who know better understand that "punk move" is like saying a weak or cowardly move.

[Mastrmynd]

man...whatever.
that WAS a punk move!

people will always try to twist your words so...whatever.

[Catch22]

Yeah, it was a punk move and the blogger at WAOD knows what that means.  How would she like it if a bunch of BET supporters showed up on her doorstep and picketed her for the hatchet job on Reg and Debra Lee? She took their words and....wait a minute...why even give this broad any more thought...she's a closed minded hypocrite...I'm done.

[Mastrmynd]

exactly.
movin' on.

[jefferson L.O.B. sergeant]

Even though Tina's hyperbolic stupidity knows no bounds, no one in there right mind is going to attach any aspect of Homophobia to Reggie's comment. Her attempting to attach the furor over the Isiah Washington affair to this is truly pathetic.

Clearly, Reggie was using the term punk to refer to cowardice/pettyness on the part of Pastor Coates. While the right to dissent is paramount in a free society; Pastor Coates antics at Debra Lee's home is nothing more than a cheap spectacle. When Coates expands this circus atmosphere and ultimately becomes a victim of that circumstance I will be interested in how they spin that as a further attack against BET and Viacom.

[Sam Wilson]

Reggie's manhandling of that punk is proof that education wins out over all.  You should plant that ivy league ring in their face brother, so they don't forget who they are trying to mess with. I love it when people flaunt their morality without an academic base to justify their self-righteousness, it only takes a minute for an educated person to slap that noise down.  Word brother, word.

[Jenn]

"I just think quite frankly it's a punk move," Hudlin said.

And that is why I will ACK A FOO' over Reggie Hudlin if need be.

Of course now there are those TRYING to imply that Reggie called the man gay:

Dominique Dawes would be impressed at that level of gymnastics, but I'm not. Everybody knows that if Hudlin wanted to call the man gay, he would've called he man gay. I can say a lot of things about Hudlin (and I have), but I can honestly say the man is no homophobe. A pompous jackass, yes. A homophobe? No.

[Wise Son]

Any idea why the original article doesn't exist on the ajc site any more?

And hello, everyone.