*BET News presents the second installment of its town hall series, Hip Hop Vs. America II: Where Did the Love Go?," a discussion focusing on music videos, misogyny within the hip-hop culture, race vs. gender, the strained relationships between black men and women, and the media's role in shaping the perception of African Americans.
The three-part special, beginning tonight at 8 p.m., is hosted by BET News correspondent Jeff Johnson and rapper MC Lyte.
"It's really about African Americans having discussions that traditionally we don't have on television," Johnson told EUR's Lee Bailey. "It's a broad range of discussion that we hope is going to be a catalyst to move beyond the small screen and into the local communities."
Panelists for "Hip Hop Vs. America II" include "Flavor of Love 2" winner Deelishis London Charles, David Banner, Talib Kweli, Lyfe Jennings (R&B recording artist); Lola Ogunaike (journalist); Allison Samuels (Newsweek magazine); Nelson George (author/director/producer); Kevin Powell (writer/cultural critic); Michael Eric Dyson (author/professor, Georgetown University); Ali LeRoi (producer/writer/director); M1 Dead Prez (hip hop artist/activist); and San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris.
Part I premieres Wednesday, June 25 at 8 p.m., with the second hour airing on Thursday, June 26 at 8 p.m. The third episode with additional exclusive footage will be available on BET on Blast, the network's broadband channel (http://www.bet.com/OnBlast/), immediately following Part II's airing.
Here are some excerpts from the program:
Deelishis: " ... if you watch The Bachelor and you check them out, they're not only still married, they are expecting a child, and they're respected as having a serious relationship. However, when we did it, and I found my mate in that household, it was looked at as though it was 'toony' or it was a joke ... "
David Banner: "I will say this to all the women: If you want to change what's going on - pick better mates. In most cases, with these men, you know what type of men they are when you lay down with them. You have to make a decision for yourself to pick a better mate. If you want to change this society, close your legs."
Talib Kweli: "An artist's job is to voice the struggle to inspire a generation of leaders. It is wrong to put the job of raising children on the artist when it comes in the home first."
Kim Osorio, author: "We need to see more female video directors, we need to see more female executives and we need to just diversify really what we're looking at. It's just one type of man that seems to be running the business of hip hop."
