Still developing: The answer is all the above, depending on the “inside source”, all of which have a different reasons.
There are several rumors flying around, so here are the facts. The facts are Chris Brown was an option to perform, and BET held his fate until the last minute. The Jackson Family thought Chris Brown would have been a great choice, and had no problem with the young star performing a tribute to his idol, which would have been his first performance since the assault. BET feared a backlash and couldn’t make up there mind on what to do, and eventually felt it was inappropriate. Other leaders of the community convinced BET that it was not in their best interest.
According to BET Awards Producer, Ron Weisner:
A day and a half ago, we had one show and today we have a whole other show. Overnight, literally, it changed. The show was completely rewritten, we booked additional people — we’re trying to address a very unfortunate situation.
JAY-Z: Now the rumor mill on the other hand is saying that Jay-Z had a hand in making sure Chris Brown didn’t perform, and that’s why he performed D.O.A. The rumor started from a tweet, apparently a Chris Brown dancer (BShaw) had this to say about Jay-Z on twitter, “Jay-Z is mad childish. Never keep a person from paying there [sic] respect.”
Here is the tweet that started all the Jay-Z rumors. The rumor has it, Jay-Z gave BET an ultimatum, if Chris Brown performs then Jay-Z pulls out. After seeing the show they should have gave Jay-Z the deuces, instead. Now people are adding sponsors to the list, as well. Sponsors such as Cover Girl, who has a contract with Rhianna, threatened to pull out.
Honestly, I think BET used the drama to their advantage as free publicity, which backfired, because the audience at home had higher expectations, and many felt disappointed. It seems more people than not were pulling for Chris Brown, including the family, and the shows producer.
Bottom line, the people that know definitively aren’t speaking, and there is a lot of speculation. Personally, I think all these things were part of the issue, and it was too big of a hurdle for BET to jump.
