[Hip Hop News Now] BET Officially Cancels 106 & Park

First the Fat Boys break up, then Music Television stops playing music videos, and now BET cuts what could be considered a staple in mainstream Hip Hop.  Today BET’s President of Music Programming, Stephen Hill, announced that “106 & Park” would air its last on-air episode next month, December 19th.  This is a major blow to Hip Hop.  Since MTV closed its door on music videos, it ultimately left music artists with few options to showcase their videos.  Of course the Internet became the ideal platform to promote music videos, however, the BET network continued to give artists a stage and it kept its viewers up to date on everything in the culture.  BET accomplished this feat with their answer to MTV’s “Total Request Live,” commonly known as “TRL.”   In the year 2000, BET’s “106 & Park” was born.  The music/variety show would run for 14 years before finally getting the axe.

According to sources, the network is focusing on taking “106 & Park “digital. Stephen Hill said in an internal memo released by the channel that the move online will bring "106 & Park" to where its audience connects with music the most. 

My question to you all taking the time to read this article is, “Where do artists now strive to get their videos played?” People may dismiss the actual value that “106 & Park” brought to Hip Hop’s table, but no matter how you look at it, it provided our culture with a place to grow.  

Let me know your thoughts on this, feel free to comment below.

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[Hip Hop News Now] The 2014 Made In America Festival Was A Huge Win For Hip Hop

During a season filled with musical festivals, the 2014 Made In America Festival officially ended the summer on a high note. The festival kicked off on Saturday in Philadelphia and for the first time in downtown Los Angeles.  In Philly, J. Cole did his thing as usual and opened up with a profound tribute to Mike Brown.  His label mate Bas, Big Daddy Kane, Chromeo, Baauer, and Steve Aoki also hit the stage before Yeezus came through and shut the scene down.  Watch Kanye's set below.

Over in L.A., artists Kendrick Lamar and TDE, Hit-Boy with special guest Rich Boy, YG, and DJ Mustard performed in front of a packed crowd at Grand Park. Ms. Fancy herself, Iggy Azalea, delivered her hits such as “Problem,” “Fancy,” and “Black Widow” with a surprise appearance from Rita Ora. 

On day 2 the event went out with a big bang. Kanye West flew cross country to Los Angeles to perform for concertgoers on the same stage that earlier featured John Mayer, Chance the Rapper, Nipsey Hussle, Rita Ora, Steve Aoki, and SZA. Jay Z and Beyoncé made a cameo as they attended the event to catch Kanye’s 80-minute set to close the night.

Back in Philly, YG performed for a hyped crowd.  The level of excitement grew for the crowd as YG did a tribute for Philly’s very own Meek Mill.  Meek is currently incarcerated and when YG held up a shirt that read “Free Meek” the audience went crazy. 

Pharrell ended the event with a dope set, performing songs of old as well as new off of his hit album GIRL.

All in all, the entire event was a success and even Hova himself broke his silence tweeting this: 

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Where did the music on Music Television go?

I don’t know about you, but I love music.  I used to love tuning into MTV and seeing all the current videos and sitting down to watch shows like Yo! MTV Raps to see and hear all the new things going on in hip-hop.  Likewise, I remember as a child rushing in from playing outside to watch the world premieres of the newest MC Hammer videos.  I can also remember the time when videos would debut in prime time, as they were spectacles to both the young and old. 

Videos gave music artists the opportunity to present a visual of the sounds that their fans have grown to love.  Even more, videos would provide great exposure for the artists. This platform gave musicians another way to market their music. With video now being a piece of the music it gave those musicians with a video the advantage.  Soon folks were tuning in more to the television for music than the radio.  The video would ultimately play a huge role in popular music marketing and this can all be credited to MTV.

In 1981 the music industry was forever changed when the world was introduced to Music Television.  MTV's effect was immediate in areas where the new music video channel was carried. Within a couple of months, record stores in areas where MTV was available were selling music that local radio stations were not playing. 

Video killed the radio star, but did anyone notice the disappearance of video on television?  What happened to Music Television?  MTV once changed the landscape of the music industry and now seems to focus on teen pregnancy.  Seriously?  That doesn’t even sound right.  I understand that it is all business, but that is like the NAACP now focusing on making sandwiches.  MTV once was a place where I could leave the channel on all day and watch video premieres and see the videos that I didn’t even know existed.  Now with MTV changing its focus and also owning VH1, I can’t find videos anywhere unless I’m online or watching 106 & Park.  I wonder what MTV’s mission statement is nowadays? So where do artists premiere their videos?  We are now forced to go online even if we don’t want to.  The MTV debacle has definitely had its impact on the industry…or did the industry make its impact on MTV?

At times, businesses need to reinvent themselves to stay a float, some companies even have to change to their focus, but as a pioneer in the music video industry it is hard to see them any other way.  Yes, MTV has found ways to retain and even obtain its younger audiences, but what was once a staple in the music industry is now almost irrelevant in music and finding other ways to entertain its audience.

Thanks for the memories Bill Bellamy, Downtown Julie Brown, Kurt Loder, John Norris, Kennedy, Idalis, Duffy, Dan Cortese, Carson Daly, Fab 5 Freddy, Daisy Fuentes, Dr Dre, Ed Lover and the list goes on.