bet awards
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The Root Is Going to the BET Awards Even Though 1 of Us Can’t Pick Migos Out of a Crowd
That one is me. I used to be so good at faces, until suddenly I met so many faces, they all started to just blur together. Did I see Erika Alexander of Living Single in a Walmart parking lot in Los Angeles last week, or was it just some other stylish black lady driving through?…
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Beyoncé and Bruno Mars Are the Top BET Awards Nominees
Beyoncé is the Queen Bee when it comes to this year’s 2017 BET Awards nominations, but Bruno Mars isn’t too far behind. BET announced the nominees Monday afternoon, with Beyoncé capturing seven nominations and Mars garnering five. And not too far behind them were Chance the Rapper, Solange and Migos, with four nominations apiece. Beyoncé…
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Read Alice Walker’s Powerful Poem Inspired by Jesse Williams’ BET Speech
One of our most wondrous and prolific living authors and activists, Alice Walker, wrote a poem inspired by actor Jesse Williams’ brilliant BET Humanitarian Award acceptance speech. The poem, published on Walker’s website the day after the awards aired, gives “three deep bows to a beautiful son” and hilariously critiques the fact that the video, courtesy…
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5 Reasons Jesse Williams Is a Black Girl’s Best Friend
The most disrespected person in America is the black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the black woman. The most neglected person in America is the black woman. Malcolm X spoke these words over 50 years ago; Beyoncé brought them back into current consciousness a mere two months ago. On Sunday night, with…
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The Best And Blackest Part Of Jesse Williams' Speech Was An Indictment Of Black Men
I first watched Jesse Williams’ speech on a phone in a lobby in a country club in Long Island. I wasn’t able to watch the BET Awards (or the Game of Thrones) live yesterday because I was at a wedding reception there, but knowing both BET and HBO were going to broadcast several re-airings, I planned on watching each when…
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Adult R&B Isn't Dead. It's Just Having A Mid-Life Crisis (And So Am I)
My regular rotation of music rests firmly planted somewhere in the 1990s, with pinches of the 1980s and beyond. When I cue something up on Songza? “Essential ‘90s R&B,” “‘90s R&B Wake-Up Call,” or “This is How We Do It: R&B Dance Party,” are the playlists of choice. I don’t deviate too much from a…