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

music videos A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

. It was one of

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

's early video shows. The show aired October 1, 1984 until 1997, 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. The ...

's "

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 three 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 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. Currently, he hosts ''T ...

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

Popular segments

*Rap Week – a segment dedicated to

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

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

Rap City ''Rap City'', also known as ''Rap City: Tha Basement'' from 1999 to 2005, 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 ...

''. 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 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