NEW YORK – BET J will air a 30 minute tribute this weekend for GRAMMY-winning international singing sensation Rihanna, who is from the Caribbean island of Barbados.
Partnering with the Barbados Tourism Authority, BET J will premiere the InVideo special on Saturday, February 16 at 2:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET/PT. The special will repeat on Monday, February 18 at 3:30 p.m.; Wednesday, February 20 at 3:30 p.m.; and Friday, February 22 at 3:30 p.m.
BET J’s InVideo show, which airs selections of the hottest urban classics from the video vaults, will highlight all of Rihanna’s videos, including the Grammy-winning Umbrella as well as Don’t Stop the Music and Hate That I Love You, both Grammy nominations.
“We are honored to join hands with the Barbados Tourism Authority, the government and people of Barbados to celebrate the accomplishments of this Caribbean sensation,” said Cybelle Brown, BET J’s Vice President of Sales and Business Development, who comes from the neighboring island of St. Lucia.
“Words can’t express the excitement and the joy that all Barbadians felt when our Barbadian superstar Rihanna won a Grammy Award after being discovered only two years ago,” said Barbados’ newly elected Prime Minister David Thompson, who along with Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy deliver congratulatory messages during the special. “It was a historic moment for the people of this country. But most of all I want to thank Rihanna for remembering Barbados.”
Minister Sealy thanked the singer for promoting Barbados as a tourist destination. “(This) means a lot to us – we congratulate her for her success but we thank her for giving back to the nation.”
Highlighting the mutually rewarding relationship BET J has had with Barbados through the years, Cybelle Brown hinted that a magazine style special was on the cards featuring Minister Sealy and Rihanna, both graduates of Barbados’ distinguished Combermere High School.
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty, nominated for six Grammys, won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for her hit Umbrella, featuring Jay-Z. “We are so proud of Rihanna. Winning the Grammy is another step in what has been a magical ride – and what’s more amazing is that her ride has only just begun,” said Evan Rogers, CEO of SRP Records, who discovered Rihanna while on vacation with his Barbadian wife Jackie, a former national tourism executive.
