I don’t know whether to laugh…. or thank BET.
No one wants to see those tatted C up tits all over the screen. But, why is BET suddenly so conservative? They banned a few other videos in the past and I’m sort of impressed. Who knew the clean up of ratchedtry was underway? Below is the banned video and an entry from Global Grind explaining more about the issue…
BET’s ban of the video for Rick Ross’ song “Hold Me Back” begs the question: In the grand scheme of rap video iconography, how controversial is it?
Here is the short answer: It isn’t.
“Hold Me Back” does not stray far at all from the ‘hood narratives that have permeated rap videos for a while now.
The Taj-directed black-and-white visuals, which are set in New Orleans’ Calliope Housing projects, are laden with depictions of abject poverty, pernicious police persecution, community members as referents of the video’s street “authenticity,” and talk of drug dealing and gangsterism for survival.
Although “Hold Me Back” is certainly not unlike anything we have seen before, BET’s reasoning for banning the video may likely be premised in larger social and political concerns with the ways that African American lives are depicted in mainstream entertainment.
BET has a track record of banning videos that it finds transgresses the network’s norms of respectability. The videos they have banned run the gamut from the too-sexy to the too-political.
The channel banned the video for Ciara’s 2010 hit “Ride” because of its sexually charged content. Nicki Minaj’s “Stupid Hoe” was recently denied airplay for similar reasons.
The Game and Lil Wayne’s video “Red Nation” was rejected for its “aggressive content.”
On the other end of the spectrum, the network banned the video “Lovin It” from the rap group Little Brother in 2005; allegedly for pushing the envelope with its critiques of the mainstream hip-hop music industry.
More recently, BET was forced to rescind its ban on Killer Mike’s highly political video “Burn” because of the outrage his fans expressed.
Read more: http://globalgrind.com/music/can-bet-hold-rick-ross-back-music-video-ban-blog#ixzz22CjVLy9A
Hmmm. Very interesting. Now if only they would bring back Teen Summit, Video Soul, and Rap City… we will be in business again.
