By Stephfon Guidry

BET Hip Hop Awards entertained, opened ears and made you laugh; it mended a friendship that was long overdue for some forgiveness.  Truly da King of the South is the rubber band man, as T.I. bounced back with flexing (iHope he didn’t FLEX too much in jail) rhymes and his classic swagger the crowd welcomed his return. Atlantic Civic Center opened its doors to urban hip hop legends Heavy D, DMX, Da Brat and more.

First let me dish out all those tweeting #WINNING from their velvet seats last night:  Chris Brown took four awards all for his club banging, douging hit “Look at Me Now”, Lil Wayne scored meager two awards #IdemandAreCOUNT, Nicki Minaj won two as well and Kanye West, Jay-Z, Waka Floka Fame and more. Rap titan himself nominated for a dominating 18 nods receiving only two, Lil Wayne aka Lil Tunchi, gripped the coveted Lyricists of Year and Best Live Performer awards.  Rihanna found the love enough to comment positively on Chris Brown’s night of #WINNING, “It’s incredible to see how he pulled out the way he did. Even when the world seemed like it was against him.”  (Msn.com) Performances that turned heads and kept the crowd fresh on the beat from the most notable Cyphers: Eminem, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, Maybach Music Group, and Chris Breezy himself.   As the heavyweight lover grabbed the mic it took the show back to 1988 hits, beats, and a groove Heavy D a Hip Hop legend rocked the mic right.

“It ain’t a red carpet. It’s a sidewalk, bloody from the wolves eating red meat, and these spotlights don’t come with money — they come with police,” spoke LL Cool J to a rapt audience hanging on every word. LL Cool J challenged the newcomers to the game to use their mic for a message leaving the award show and hip hop with a charge of a new direction GLEE.

BET New Sitcom “Reed Between the Lines”

Following the Hip Hop Awards or Hood Honors premiered the black sitcom “Reed between the Lines”, featuring the talents of Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Tracee Ellis Ross. Daughter of the Diva and the quintessential only son of the most iconic African American family in television history (the Cosby Show, if you don’t know you have lived under a rock for eons!) come together to create their own merging of laughs, love and life lessons on a show all about the black family of today facing its problems together. Reed Between the lines l isn’t an open book or a NY Best seller and it needs some time to grow—yet the actors’ chemistry flows through the screen.  The show provides some comedy, casting that gives young and seasoned black actors a chance; Ross gives a convincing psychologist and Warner plays a professor eloquently.  I predict, Reed between the Lines potentially may tackle everything from maintaining marriage intimacy, raising children, keeping a family together, and life with friends as well as life with family—Ross and Warner just snagged a viewer in me. So tune in to BET on Tuesdays at 10 ET p.m. and catch “Reed Between the Lines”.