The BET Hip Hop Awards 2012 will air in October.  Unfortunately, give or take a few pivotal performances/moments (D’Angelo, Melanie Fiona, the Whitney tribute, Frankie Beverly & Maze), I thought I WAS watching the BET Hip Hop Awards last night. Needless to say that in the aftermath of the 2012 BET Awards, Debra Lee and the crew need to do some SERIOUS tweaking. Here are a few IMMEDIATE suggestions:

1. If all else fails, leave it off the broadcast. If your censor police has to literally lean on the mute button during performances and segments, it’s probably a good bet that is not the best thing to air. Straight to Internet anyone?
2. Serve that royalty right. What you do (or don’t do) for the legends will be noted. While I was deeply moved by the BEST Whitney Houston tribute (Monica, Brandy, and Cissy Houston) to date, other legends were simply jammed in the broadcast as simple interludes. Chante Moore looked and sounded amazing as she paid tribute to the late Donna Summer. Whose heart didn’t skip a beat when Valerie Simpson paid tribute to her late husband and songwriting partner, Nick Ashford? Some viewers may not even know  who they were, as they were clearly not introduced. They basically glazed over acknowledgement for the late Adam Yauch (MCA of The Beastie Boys) and of course, the Godfather of Go-Go, Chuck Brown. As of this post, no one at that network can complain about how our legends are treated in other arenas, broadcasts, or networks. If we don’t give them their JUST due, then who will?
3. The Unofficial “Cool” Table. There was more to this show than having the camera on the Carters, Kanye West and Kim K. I guess the “beautiful people” must have their shine at all costs.
4. Respect your elders. One of the members of Mindless Behavior decided to take a jab by making careless reference to Lauryn Hill’s tax woes. Boy, where is your mama? She may be going through but like her song says, “You might win some but you just lost one.”
5. Beyonce can’t always fix it. Too many people are doing foolish things on award shows. Apparently, Mrs. Carter seems to take it upon herself to try to fix it by turning a potential (or in this case, literal) negative into a positive. How about the network take some responsibility for that nonsense for a change (see number 4)?
6. The onslaught of BET upcoming programming promos? We get it. If I hear, “We Got You,” one more time, I am going to scream. Hearing it makes me immediately think of the Five W’s. Yeah, you got us alright.

I know it is easier to simply change the channel when programs like this air, but if we don’t say something, the same thing will continue. What I do know is that I had to add two more books to my summer reading list to make up for watching last night.