bet awards

The BET Hip Hop Awards were held for a third year in Atlanta, this time at the Civic Center. As much as I thought about going through the ringer trying to get a red carpet pass, I've found there are better photos to be made as a street rat.

I was wrong on that account as the security had barricaded the roads one block in every direction. There was no chance to even get remotely close to the action. I parked just off Ponce and walked the three blocks south toward downtown. At the fringes of the fence were the the wanna-be groupies and bored music fans hoping to get a glimpse of Atlanta's revered musicians.

I trotted about the perimeter and found nothing good. Guys tried to pass out their mixtapes and some girls were persuading the bouncers for a free pass. I wandered for about an hour as the crowd thinned, realizing no celebs were going to arrive at the barricades. There was a crowd but nothing really interesting.

Walking back to my car, I saw a wedding reception at St. Pauls and some women were out smoking in their dresses. One was lifting up her skirt and loudly complaining about it and for a second, I thought about reaching for my camera. The women then noticed me and gave me odd scowls and I thought better than to take a picture. It was a shame, because the image would of been ten times better than anything at the BET gates, but hell hath no fury like drunken, disgruntled bridesmaids.