BET News' Critically Acclaimed Town Hall Series Returns With 'HIP HOP VS. AMERICA...

BET News' Critically Acclaimed Town Hall Series Returns With 'HIP HOP VS.
AMERICA II: WHERE DID THE LOVE GO?' to Examine the Troubled Relationship
Between Black Men and Women
Parts I and II to Premiere on Wednesday, June 25 and Thursday, June 26 at 8:00
p.m.*, With Part III Airing Exclusively on BET ON BLAST

NEW YORK, June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, June 25 at 8:00 p.m.* BET
News premieres the second installment of its popular town hall series, HIP HOP
VS. AMERICA II: WHERE DID THE LOVE GO?, a no-holds-barred 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. Hip-hop culture and controversy
have always made for familiar bedfellows, and with this special, BET News
provides viewers with a forum to address some of the most pressing issues
facing the Black community today.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO )
Hosted by BET News correspondent Jeff Johnson and hip hop pioneer MC Lyte,
this primetime special provides a platform for a heated debate that aims to
uncover the cause and effect of relationships between Black men and women.
This three-part special features a passionate, lively and opinionated debate
that tackles many sensitive issues, including:
-- the images of women on television, particularly in music videos;
-- sins of sexism;
-- a segment about "What's love got to do with it?" to explore if this
current climate further erodes the familial structure;
-- a segment "Am I my sister's keeper?" featuring an all-female panel that
cuts across generational, socioeconomic and cultural lines;
-- race vs. gender; and
-- the role the media plays in shaping American and international
perceptions of Black women.
Here's what some of the panelists had to say:
" ... 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 ... "
- Deelishis London Charles, Winner, Flavor of Love 2
"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."
- David Banner, rapper
"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."
- Talib Kweli, hip hop recording artist
"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. Its
just one type of man that seems to be running the business of hip hop."
- Kim Osorio, author
Participants in HIP HOP VS. AMERICA II include David Banner
(rapper/producer); Lil X (director); Talib Kweli (hip hop recording artist);
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); Deelishis London Charles (winner, Flavor of Love 2);
Angel Lola Love (video model/actress); Kim Osorio (author); Fershgenet Melaku
(video model/actress); Michaela Angela Davis (journalist); Esther Armah (BBC
journalist); Eugene Rivers (Christian activist); Clayton Gavin (hip hop
artist/activist); Marc Lamont Hill (professor, Temple University); Melissa
Harris Lacewell (professor, Princeton University); Lavonne Alford (recording
artist); Beverly Bond (founder, Black Girls Rock, Inc. / hip hop DJ); Moya
Bailey (activist/actor); Byron Hurt (filmmaker); Henry Bonsu (journalist);
Akosua Anobil-Dodoo (journalist); LaShawna Stanley (President/CEO, Ethnicity
Models); 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 8:00 p.m.* with the second hour
airing on Thursday, June 26 at 8:00 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.
Selwyn Seyfu Hinds is executive producer of HIP HOP VS. AMERICA II: WHERE
DID THE LOVE GO?.
For up-to-the-minute and archival press information including releases and
photographs, visit BET's press-only Web site at www.bet.com/pr .
*All times ET/PT
About BET Networks
BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the
nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public
affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary
BET channel reaches more than 87 million households according to Nielsen Media
Research, and can be seen in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. BET is the
dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business
extensions: BET.com, a leading internet destination for Black entertainment,
music, culture, and news; BET Digital Networks - BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip
Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event
Productions, a full-scale event management and production company; BET Home
Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment
including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones,
games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an
extension of BET network programming for global distribution.
SOURCE BET Networks

Marcy Polanco, BET Networks, +1-212-975-3327, marcy.polanco@bet.net