Justin Bieber has been nominated for a BET award. The 16-year-old white Canadian singer will compete in the category for Best New Artist against rappers Drake, Nikki Minaj, Wale and singer Melanie Fiona, all of whom identify as Black artists. While BET awards are usually reserved for artists, athletes, and entertainers of African descent, officials described Beiber as a cross-over talent artist worthy of consideration. "Bieber has crossed the color boundaries the same way that hip-hop has crossed the boundaries the other way for a number of years," Stephen Hill, BET's President of Music Programing and Specials,
told Reuters. Bieber isn't the first white entertainer to be nominated for an award with the network. Previous white nominees include singers Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke and rapper Eminem, Bieber's nomination has set the music blogosphere on fire, with some folks saying that there were plenty of other new, talented Black artists who deserved the nomination. "It speaks in volumes regarding BET’s so-called “Black Star Power” vs. wanting to be accepted by everyone," wrote one blogger at
Dr.Jays.com. "This is obviously a move for the latter."
