The Man In The Mirror…….

 

A great majority of us grew up watching Michael Jackson blossom into the great success that he is (even posthumously). We watched as his melanin faded, his hair went from nappy to bone strait, nose went from broad to slender… But what did not change and only got better with time was his musical talent. Some would argue that his father Joseph Jackson is the driving force to his success, while others would say that he is the one that “ruined” him. However, either way it goes there is not one person who has not been affected by Michaels’ existence unless they’ve been living under ground. Even if you never picked up any of the numerous CDs that he has been involved in throughout his career spanning 40yrs+, he has inspired a generation of artists (singers, songwriters, producers, and artist of all mediums) and been the butt of many comedians’ jokes. Michael broke barriers and opened doors to opportunities that did not exist for entertainers of “color”.

Unfortunately Michaels’ accomplishments have been overshadowed by his seemingly drastic physical transformations and ill-proved accusations of child molestation. The media came up with the epithet “Wacko Jacko” that has haunted him for at least half of his career and only aided many smear campaigns against him. Michael has successfully reached many goals, some which he may not have even intended to. Despite this fact he could not change his heritage which more than likely proved to be his greatest obstacle throughout his career, being a black man.

Michael grew up in an era when white male dominance strongly existed. Racism wasn’t just a distant memory (and still isn’t). He was thrust into the music industry when he was a child all but leaving behind his education unbeknownst to anyone that he was actually beginning his career. Yes, he had his family to lean on but there is evidence that the ties that bind weren’t as strong as he needed them to be. Michael took the lead in a singing group with his brothers (The Jackson 5). Of the youngest there really was no one for him to relate to and then as they got older “creative control” of the product that they were marketing became an issue as well as group management. By the time he was 18 he was involved in making decisions that controlled the financial future of not just himself as an individual, but also affected his entire family.

Eventually Michael chose to move forward into a solo career that led to him becoming an international superstar. He probably invented “the cross-over” plateau that so many artist hope to reach in their career, defining the genre “Pop” and owning it! Radio and music television could not deny the mass appeal that Michael had to the universe and gradually through his talent he broke racial barriers for future artist to come. Michael didn’t just impact the world on a musical level but on a financial level as well. What we did for him, he did for us ten-fold. Made evident through the “Guinness Book of World Records” when Michael was documented as being the most charitable artist in the universe (so I take this time to THANK all those who purchased Michael Jackson paraphernalia during this time, THANK YOU!)

Going into his adult years Michael became a media spectacle that would not be respected. Those he shared his life with on a very genuine level would betray his trust and damage his spirit. Everyone from family, friends, fans, nay-sayers, media personalities, paparazzi, and the like have all speculated on what would have been the “right” way for him to live his life yet have had none of his experiences nor have any of his expertise. Most of us can’t even live our own lives properly yet we feel that we have the expertise to manage someone else’s life; We really need to get a grip. We can’t even manage the thousands that go through our checkbooks how could we ever manage the millions that went through his. Hindsight is always 20/20; Please have the foresight to allow this man to R.I.P. Spend your time speculating on how you can make your life better and not on what he did wrong or where he went wrong. We must all have our individual experiences that allow us to blossom into the imperfect human beings that we are!!!!!!!  –> A SILENT MOMENT PLEASE…….    

NOT TOO THRILLED!!!!!!!

 

As of August 24, 2009 Michael Jackson’s death was ruled a homicide (1 day shy of the 2month anniversary of his death). He was under the influence of multiple sedatives administered by a doctor he hired to care for him. The extreme liberal in me wonders why as a resident of California he was not prescribed medicinal marijuana. I feel that it is a much healthier alternative to many of the drugs prescribed by any doctor in which most have near fatal side effects such as blood clots, stroke, heart attack, and a host of others issues that if you’re not strong enough to bounce back from make you wish that you were dead anyway!

      In light of his death I also feel that us fans are being financially exploited, magazines that once couldn’t even get an authorized cover from Michael Jackson are doing full memorial spreads and charging TWICE THE PRICE! Venues where Michael Jackson paraphernalia couldn’t even be found have an over flow of his product available at unreasonable prices, not to mention the music stores that didn’t have any real variety of Michaels’ music not only offer a wide array now but have also jacked up the prices to high hell! Everyone is trying to get a piece of the peripheral pie but weren’t even interested in it until he died!

      Yes, I’m complaining! When Michael needed your support, where were you? Huddled up in your pow wows talking amongst yourselves about his “guilt”, talkin crap about how you liked him when he was “black” as if he could change his DNA. I’m not inspired by or appreciative of your change of heart. All of a sudden you care…. Everyone wanted to speculate about how he should live his life yet none of you could ever walk a day in his shoes or empathize with his plight yet you felt that you had a right to judge him. I’m not thrilled!

THE UNIMAGINABLE

The King Of Pop

15 Years ago you could not convince me that I would be alive when the “King of Pop” died; I honestly believed my children would experience the same greatness I had. When MJ released “Invincible” I believed him! Sadly on June 25, 2009 we all found out  just how mortal he is. I remember this morning well because when I woke up I sat up on the edge of my bed and rested my head in the palm of my hands… Shortly thereafter I learned he was in the hospital, I had hope that my living breathing hero would prevail like always. I headed to work a few hours later and snuck on Twitter through my mobile app for updates, quickly my homepage filled with the shocking news that Michael had died! I have a rule that more than likely it’s true if more than 2 people say it….. Everyone was saying it! I work at a retail chain and I began getting massive phone calls for MJ product but no one could tell me if  he was ok or not. Common sense kicked in and I quickly realized that the people who were calling were not genuine fans and could care less; they just wanted a piece of history…

One phone call really tugged at my heart strings, a gentlemen requesting MJ  product asked me how I  felt about everyone’s laxidasical attitude about his health because I was the first person he heard inquiring about Michaels well being. Honestly I was hurt, too hurt to be angry or enraged. That moment let me know if Michael hadn’t taken his last breath he was very close to it, the world officially made it known that they had no concern for the musical prodigy that influenced at least 90%, if not the whole entertainment industry! I left work early and an hour later I received the confirmation that the man I revered had left the planet that he loved so much that he gave until he had no more to give…

2 Days later I went out and got my first tattoo ever (his initials on my wrist with musical notes above it), 1 week later I wrote the poem “Can I R.I.P?” and performed it at a CD release party for a project that I’m featured on. It’s been a little over a month since MJ died and it’s been a tough journey of grief but I’m slowly accepting it for what it is.
Thank you Michael for creating musical perfection by teaching me creativity through on screen wonder and countless hours of relief as I allowed myself to get lost in the lyrics that you translated with the finest of instruments: Your spirit, heart, and mouth……. THANK YOU!!!!!!!