BET.com Predictions for 2009

Andre Benjamin: Best<bR>Artist of 2009 - Andre 3000 has never ever (ever ever) fallen off so can this brother really top himself? After scoring strike after strike in the guest verse lane, rapper/actor/producer Andre 3000 is set to drop his first full solo effort in ’09. We think the as-yet-untitled record has what it takes for “Album of the Year”.

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Andre Benjamin: Best<bR>Artist of 2009 - Andre 3000 has never ever (ever ever) fallen off so can this brother really top himself? After scoring strike after strike in the guest verse lane, rapper/actor/producer Andre 3000 is set to drop his first full solo effort in ’09. We think the as-yet-untitled record has what it takes for “Album of the Year”.

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Chris Will Put a Ring on It - We’ve seen them hanging out together in Europe and the Caribbean and playing down their relationship at award shows. But like Jay-Z and Beyonce, who had a similar M.O., the new king of dance steps and the good girl gone bad go together like apple pie and ice cream. It’s only a matter of time before they make it official.

Black Swimmers - Olympic gold swimmer Cullen Jones will inspire more Black kids to take their skills from community pools to professional swim competitions.

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Black Swimmers - Olympic gold swimmer Cullen Jones will inspire more Black kids to take their skills from community pools to professional swim competitions.

Death of DVDs - With on-demand programming, digital downloads, TiVo and other innovations, spending twenty bucks for a plastic disc is on its way out just like the tape was when they invented the CD – or maybe we should say like the CD after MP3s were introduced. Who can keep up?

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Death of DVDs - With on-demand programming, digital downloads, TiVo and other innovations, spending twenty bucks for a plastic disc is on its way out just like the tape was when they invented the CD – or maybe we should say like the CD after MP3s were introduced. Who can keep up?

More Green Blacks - Being Green will no longer be reserved for dreadlocked, juice-squeezing Mother-Earth type bohos. Black folks from the ‘hood to the suburbs will join the expanding world wide trend of going green, recycling more, using less water, and paying attention to the labels on products they buy.

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More Green Blacks - Being Green will no longer be reserved for dreadlocked, juice-squeezing Mother-Earth type bohos. Black folks from the ‘hood to the suburbs will join the expanding world wide trend of going green, recycling more, using less water, and paying attention to the labels on products they buy.

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Rebirth of Hip Hop - With a recession on and the music industry tightening purse strings, the era of bottle popping will soon be over. In its place will be a return to hip hop that everyone can love. We’ll see more collaborations between northern and southern artists and less schisms between tthe old school and new.

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Rebirth of Hip Hop - With a recession on and the music industry tightening purse strings, the era of bottle popping will soon be over. In its place will be a return to hip hop that everyone can love. We’ll see more collaborations between northern and southern artists and less schisms between tthe old school and new.

More Hookups ... Less Dating - For better or worse, it seems a troubling trend is here to say. According to a report by Child Trends, a Washington research group, more high school seniors than ever before admitting that they date less and hook up more. Experts say young people tend to have a large group of friends instead of exclusive boyfriends and girlfriends and choose multiple sex partners.

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More Hookups ... Less Dating - For better or worse, it seems a troubling trend is here to say. According to a report by Child Trends, a Washington research group, more high school seniors than ever before admitting that they date less and hook up more. Experts say young people tend to have a large group of friends instead of exclusive boyfriends and girlfriends and choose multiple sex partners.

Little Jayonce? - It’s only a matter of time before Black music’s favorite couple will create the ultimate collabo. Jigga needs an heir to his dynasty and Bey needs to build a family as strong as the one that made her famous. Boy or girl? What would they name it?

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Little Jayonce? - It’s only a matter of time before Black music’s favorite couple will create the ultimate collabo. Jigga needs an heir to his dynasty and Bey needs to build a family as strong as the one that made her famous. Boy or girl? What would they name it?

Huge Comeback - She had an Oscar and three hit movies in a row before tragedy struck with the murder of her mother, brother and nephew. But with her self-titled debut album already at gold status and the world sending out positivity, 2009 will be a year of rebirth of the woman who was more than just another “Idol.”

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Huge Comeback - She had an Oscar and three hit movies in a row before tragedy struck with the murder of her mother, brother and nephew. But with her self-titled debut album already at gold status and the world sending out positivity, 2009 will be a year of rebirth of the woman who was more than just another “Idol.”

Even Bigger - He already does a guest verse every 15 seconds and makes a magazine cover every other month. With the The Carter III selling close to three million dollars, Weezy owns the game. And his stock is only going to rise in ’09.

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Even Bigger - He already does a guest verse every 15 seconds and makes a magazine cover every other month. With the The Carter III selling close to three million dollars, Weezy owns the game. And his stock is only going to rise in ’09.

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More Corporate Mergers - With a deepening recession, a lot of the big players in the media game are going to join hands in the name of making money. The early part of the decade brought an explosion of blogs and small publications. However, this year, look for more and more newspapers, TV networks, and other entertainment companies to merge, creating a smaller number of powerhouse businesses doing together what they did apart but better.

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More Corporate Mergers - With a deepening recession, a lot of the big players in the media game are going to join hands in the name of making money. The early part of the decade brought an explosion of blogs and small publications. However, this year, look for more and more newspapers, TV networks, and other entertainment companies to merge, creating a smaller number of powerhouse businesses doing together what they did apart but better.

He'll Save America - President Obama will present a stimulus plan so thoughtful and sound that it will glide through congress and become law. As a result, the economy will jump start and tens of thousands of working families will be able to stay in the middle class. Millions of foreclosures will be avoided.

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He'll Save America - President Obama will present a stimulus plan so thoughtful and sound that it will glide through congress and become law. As a result, the economy will jump start and tens of thousands of working families will be able to stay in the middle class. Millions of foreclosures will be avoided.

&quot;It's the Recession&quot; - With the country in its worst financial shape in generations, for slackers, “the recession” will be the perfect excuse for any and everything. Late for work? Forgot your anniversary? Your record was wack? Blame it on the recession (and ask for a bailout). Everybody’s doing it.

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"It's the Recession" - With the country in its worst financial shape in generations, for slackers, “the recession” will be the perfect excuse for any and everything. Late for work? Forgot your anniversary? Your record was wack? Blame it on the recession (and ask for a bailout). Everybody’s doing it.

Whats in a Name? - 2008 was the year for the first Black president. What better way for parents to make the moment last forever than to give their babies names that will forever memorialize it? Expect a lot of Black babies named Barack, Obama and Michelle in the years to come.

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Whats in a Name? - 2008 was the year for the first Black president. What better way for parents to make the moment last forever than to give their babies names that will forever memorialize it? Expect a lot of Black babies named Barack, Obama and Michelle in the years to come.

Going Viral - With the average commercial costing millions to run on primetime TV, companies will save money by doing more viral promotions on the Web and other content mediums like e-mail, text messaging, blogs and YouTube.

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Going Viral - With the average commercial costing millions to run on primetime TV, companies will save money by doing more viral promotions on the Web and other content mediums like e-mail, text messaging, blogs and YouTube.

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Cooler - Ben’s Chilli Bowl, the oldest Black-owned eatery in DC, is opening a more upscale annex next door. That’s just one example of the many renovations and expansions happening in the city as it prepares for the Obama administration and the tens of thousands of Democrats arriving to work with the new government. Local socialites expect DC to have a much spicier nightlife and more celebrity events and sightings.

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Cooler - Ben’s Chilli Bowl, the oldest Black-owned eatery in DC, is opening a more upscale annex next door. That’s just one example of the many renovations and expansions happening in the city as it prepares for the Obama administration and the tens of thousands of Democrats arriving to work with the new government. Local socialites expect DC to have a much spicier nightlife and more celebrity events and sightings.

From GRAMMY&lt;br&gt;To Emmy - Philly’s favorite songstress Jill Scott will introduce herself to an entirely new audience when her new HBO series, No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency premieres is the US in ’09.

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From GRAMMY<br>To Emmy - Philly’s favorite songstress Jill Scott will introduce herself to an entirely new audience when her new HBO series, No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency premieres is the US in ’09.

I Is the First Letter in Indie - Whether it’s music, film or television, technology and access will allow artists to release their own independent material more easily, creating more competition and smarter competitors for the big boys to deal with.

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I Is the First Letter in Indie - Whether it’s music, film or television, technology and access will allow artists to release their own independent material more easily, creating more competition and smarter competitors for the big boys to deal with.