When did MTV become so whitewashed?

by Joe Abiolola

Mtv used to be the birthplace of shows like "yo mtv raps" and more. The MTv of old celebrated a diverse look and feel of the music landscape and it became the place to go to for the latest videos from 2pac to Guns-n-Roses. The Mtv of old played with the genres and was a collective mix of everything in the musical gumbo of today.



The were groundbreaking for starting a reality tv movement with "The REAL WORLD."
Later.. MTV began to produce shows and become something different. It became its own channel for movies and original programming. "Jersey Shore, Jackass, The Hills", and more dominated their programming, but something was missing from this line-up and still is missing. That something is the diversity that is found in its audience who still tunes in to watch shows and never get to see themselves. The racial mash-up of Mtv is now dead. What we have now are original shows and programming aimed at a certain type of audience found in mainstream America. One that doesn't necessarily live on 125th Street in Harlem or hangs out at the swap meet in Compton.
I'm not referring to MTV2, at all with this piece. So with MTV the reality has now become with a statement that if you're looking for diversity..don't come here. Go to MTv2.

That is the sad reality of a network that once was referred to as the place to watch the latest Michael Jackson music videos, and Ed Lover kicking a freestyle on "Yo Mtv Raps". Yes, Mtv has more original shows and less music videos, and there's nothing wrong with that, but maybe its time to do a remix of the network to show a more colorful America that once called it home.