''Video Vibrations'' was a 4-hour-long daily video block that showcased popular

music videos A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

. It was one of

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

's early video shows. The show aired October 1,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

until

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

, when it was changed to ''Vibrations''. It was developed to appeal to black audiences and show a wider array of black music than MTV or other networks at the time. The first video on Video Vibrations was

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

When Doves Cry "When Doves Cry" is a song by American musician Prince, and the lead single from his sixth studio album '' Purple Rain''. According to the DVD commentary of the film '' Purple Rain'' (1984), Prince was asked by director Albert Magnoli to write a ...

. In the beginning, due to a limited supply of videos from black artists, popular mainstream white artists with crossover appeal were also featured in the lineup. As the supply of videos from black artists expanded, so did BET's position as an influential voice of the music industry.

Hosts

The show was hosted by a VJ speaking offscreen. All 3 hosts were prominent in radio as well. *Alvin "The Unseen VJ" Jones (1984-1991), one of

's other first VJ's,alongside

Donnie Simpson Donnie Simpson (born January 30, 1954) is a longtime American radio DJ as well as a television and movie personality. He hosted ''The Donnie Simpson Morning Show'' on Washington, D.C. radio station WPGC-FM from March 1993 to January 29, 2010. C ...

. *"Captain" Paul Porter (1991-1996). *Lorenzo "Ice Tea" Thomas (1996-1997)

Popular segments

*Rap Week - a segment dedicated to hip-hop and

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

. Numerous artists were interviewed as well. This was also the inspiration for Alvin Jones to create ''

Rap City ''Rap City'' is a music video television program block that originally aired on the Black Entertainment Television (BET) network from August 11, 1989, to November 8, 2008. The program was an exclusive showcase for hip hop music videos, and featu ...

''. The show went off the air in 2008. *The Monday Music Marathon - a showcase of music videos by one artist or genre.

Music Intros

The program did not use a theme song or used any recorded tracks until 1991, when they used the single " Mindflux" from the British act

N-Joi NJOI is an English production duo from Southend, Essex, England, consisting of Nigel Champion and Mark Franklin, (who met at Alleyn Court Prep School) with vocalist/ front person Saffron. Champion went to Framlingham College and Franklin to ...

as their "theme song" for their intros and breaks up until they left the air in 1997.

References

{{BET 1984 American television series debuts 1997 American television series endings 1980s American music television series 1990s American music television series BET original programming