Stephen Hill
Last week we reported how R&B sensation Keyshia Cole and rapper Trina took to twitter to let off some steam about not being nominated for the annual BET awards ceremony this year. Well, BET President of Music Programming and SpecialsStephen Hill has emerged to address the buzz surrounding the issue.
Hill explained “This one’s a tough one. We simply had to go, as we always do, with the artists who got the most votes in that [best female R&B artist] category. The nominations consist of the artists that got the top votes in that category when put to our voting academy. If there is six nominations in a category that means there was a tie.”
Beyoncé has been nominated in the Best Female R&B category although her last project, “I am… Sasha Fierce” was released in 2008. Hill clarified that it was because Beyoncé submitted a video during the year’s eligibility period and was voted on the strength of that one video.
He continued on to explain why rapper Trina was also not nominated for any awards.
“Okay, that was because Trina didn’t submit a video that was in during the eligibility period. Let me back up. To be eligible, here’s what you have to have: a video that’s submitted and then first played on BET…between April 1 of one year and March 30 of the next year. So for this eligibility period it would be April 1 of 2010 to March 30 of 2011. She did not release a video to us in that time. “Million Dollar Girl” came in March. I think it was March 12 or so of 2010. And so she was in last year’s nominees for that. While she was featured in Lola Monroe’s video, the rules are you have to release a video of your own. You have to be the primary artist on it. You can’t be just the feature artist and be eligible. So that’s why Lola Monroe was eligible but Trina was not for this year because it came out this year. So I’ve reached out to her camp. I’ve talked to the head of her label. And actually the only reason I might get off this call is because I may be getting a call from Trina while this call is going on.”
Source: AP
