HIP HOP VS. AMERICA II

NEW YORK – June 17, 2008 – 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.

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.

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 Ogunnaike (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.(EST)