# Video Vibrations

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***Video Vibrations*** was a 4-hour-long daily video block that showcased popular [music videos](/source/Music_videos). It was one of [BET](/source/Black_Entertainment_Television)'s early video shows. The show aired October 1, 1984 until 1997,[1] 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.[2][3]

The first video on *Video Vibrations* was [Prince](/source/Prince_(musician))'s "[When Doves Cry](/source/When_Doves_Cry)". 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.[4]

## 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 [BET](/source/Black_Entertainment_Television)'s other first VJ's, alongside [Donnie Simpson](/source/Donnie_Simpson).

- "Captain" Paul Porter (1991–1996).

- Lorenzo "Ice Tea" Thomas (1996–1997)

## Popular segments

- Rap Week – a segment dedicated to [hip-hop](/source/Hip-hop) and [rap](/source/Rap_music). Numerous artists were interviewed as well. This was also the inspiration for Alvin Jones to create *[Rap City](/source/Rap_City)*. 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](/source/Mindflux)" from the British act [N-Joi](/source/N-Joi) as their "theme song" for their intros and breaks up until they left the air in 1997.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Harris, Christopher (February 7, 2017). ["BET's Rap City: An Oral History of TV's Longest-Running Hip-Hop Show"](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/rap-city-an-oral-history-of-tvs-longest-running-hip-hop-show-192012/). *Rolling Stone*. Retrieved August 8, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Keyes, Cheryl Lynette (2004). [*Rap Music and Street Consciousness*](https://books.google.com/books?id=HRmRqtD6oPgC&dq=%22Video+Vibrations%22+BET&pg=PA101). University of Illinois Press. p. 101. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-252-07201-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-252-07201-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [*Billboard*](https://books.google.com/books?id=jg8EAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Video+Vibrations%22+BET&pg=PA41-IA9). Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 30, 1992. p. 101.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Pulley, Brett (October 5, 2005). [*The Billion Dollar BET: Robert Johnson and the Inside Story of Black Entertainment Television*](https://books.google.com/books?id=6uQo0R2cUL0C&dq=%22Video+Vibrations%22+BET&pg=PA60). John Wiley & Sons. p. 60. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-471-73597-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-471-73597-7).

v t e BET original programming Current The Oval (since 2019) Sistas (since 2019) Tyler Perry's House of Payne (since 2020) Tyler Perry's Assisted Living (since 2020) After Happily Ever After (since 2022) Black + Iconic (since 2023) The Wine Down with Mary J. Blige (since 2023) Ms. Pat Settles It (since 2023) Pound 4 Pound (since 2025) 106 & Sports (since 2025) Love & Hip Hop: Miami (since 2025) The Coach Vick Experience (since 2026) OG Stories (since 2026) Former 1980s and 1990s debuts Bobby Jones Gospel (1980–2016) Black College Football (1981–2005) Video Soul (1981–1996) Video Vibrations (1984–1997) Midnight Love (1985–2005) Video LP (1986–1993) Rap City (1989–2008) Teen Summit (1989–2002) Screen Scene (1990–1997) Planet Groove (1996–1999) ABL on BET (1996–1998) Cita's World (1999–2003) 2000s debuts 106 & Park (2000–2014) BET.com Countdown (2001–2006) BET: Uncut (2001–2006) Access Granted (2001–2009) BET's Top 25 (2001–2008) The Center (2003–2007) Hey Monie! (2003) College Hill (2004–2009) BET Style (2004–2006) Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is (2006–2008) Hotwyred (2006–2007) The Black Carpet (2006–2008) The 5ive (2007) Take the Cake (2007) Baldwin Hills (2007–2009) Sunday Best (2007–2021) Iron Ring (2008) The Deal (2008–2010) Brothers to Brutha (2008) Harlem Heights (2009) Tiny and Toya (2009–2010) The Mo'Nique Show (2009–2011) 2010s debuts The Michael Vick Project (2010) The Family Crews (2010–2011) Let's Stay Together (2011–2014) The Game (2011–2015) Black Panther (2011) Reed Between the Lines (2011) Keyshia & Daniel: Family First (2012) Real Husbands of Hollywood (2013–2016) Second Generation Wayans (2013) Being Mary Jane (2013–2019) Just Keke (2014) Nellyville (2014–2015) Roc Nation Sports Live Boxing (2015) The Book of Negroes (2015) Keyshia Cole: All In (2015) Punk'd (2015) Zoe Ever After (2016) Chasing Destiny (2016) Criminals at Work (2016) The New Edition Story (2017) Madiba (2017) The Quad (2017–2018) Time: The Kalief Browder Story (2017) Rebel (2017) Tales (2017–2022) 50 Central (2017) The Comedy Get Down (2017) The Rundown with Robin Thede (2017–2018) Hit the Floor (2018) In Contempt (2018) The Grand Hustle (2018) The Family Business (2018–2019) Boomerang (2019–2020) American Soul (2019–2020) Games People Play (2019–2021) 2020s debuts Twenties (2020–2021) Boiling Point (2021) Disrupt & Dismantle (2021) BET Presents: The Encore (2021) Klutch Academy (2021) The Murder Inc Story (2022) Haus of Vicious (2022) America in Black (2023-2024) Welcome to Rap City (2023) Celebrity Squares (2024) The Hospital (2025)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Video Vibrations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Vibrations) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Vibrations?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.