Initially, my plan was to raise the issue of how ridiculous and how harsh the courts slammed Michael Vick. But, as the whole world mourns the passing of a mega icon, I feel compelled to pay respects to another Michael, the King of Pop himself. In fact, Michael Jackson may be the most popular and famous Michael of them all, with the exception of the saint himself, Saint Michael the Archangel.
On June 25, I had just returned home in the evening from a long, exhausting drive from Myrtle Beach, SC. Typically, I don’t waste my precious time watching television, but that day, I needed to “veg-out,” so I grabbed the remote and let’er rip. Immediately, I was stunned … “Michael Jackson dead at the age of 50.” As I sat there, I couldn’t help thinking about him. Like most people in this world, I’ve never met him, but as a child who grew up in the mid-1960s and 1970s, it felt like I lost a brother. I can vividly remember doin’ The Jackson 5’s routines with my two older brothers and singing…
ABC IT'S EASY AS 123
A SIMPLE AS DO RE MI
ABC, 123, BABY YOU AND ME GIRL
When we sang, I was always Michael because I was the youngest.
Michael took on a lot of heat in his life from changing his skin color and facial features to the accusations of child molestation. I admit he personified idiosyncrasy, eccentricity. He lived on a ranch called Neverland, where he had pet monkeys, giraffes, and even owned the skeleton of the Elephant Man. As an African American, I felt disappointed and sometimes ashamed of his offstage lifestyle. However, like most of my culture, I don’t think anyone disowned him as a member of our community. In fact, I think he earned the highest respect of our people, despite his shortcomings. Additionally, he knew early on in his career that he not only was an icon for the African American community, but also a mega icon for the world, to include those living in the far reaching corners of the earth. He knew his influential strength and put it to use to support many humanitarian challenges. He raised millions of dollars for famine relief by combining his writing talents with Lionel Richie and singing gifts with many others to bring the world together with the hit song, We are the World.
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving
As time went on and the King of Pop’s career experienced its ups and downs, I would often hear people talk about him, some good and some not so good. I always thought, “Yaw can talk about him if you want, but when it comes to music and entertainment, no one or no group may ever top him.” This includes the “King” himself. Yes, I said it. I can confidently say and will testify that Michael Jackson was more popular, more entertaining, and more reaching than Elvis. I’m sure there are many out there that would dispute this claim, but if it came down to it, I think it could be proven. Simply put, I could spend pages and pages listing out his many accolades and songs and videos and still would not do him justice. But it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t name a few of his albums … Off the Wall, Bad, Invincible, and Dangerous. And so, if there is any doubt of his talents and his standing among the many entertainers since the beginning of time, let me just put it like this … this man, who was truly touched by God, made a hit song singing about a rat. Who does that!
Let me end with two points. First, the mega icon inspired many songwriters and entertainers that have come, gone, and yet to be seen. Michael Jackson was truly a trailblazer. It’s no question that he opened the doors for the video artists of today. Beat It, Billie Jean and Thriller essentially transformed music video to another form of artistry. Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge his contribution to the dancing world because he truly was BAD! Today, people still do the robot trying to mimic the genius himself. And dare I forget, the moonwalk where he stunned the world in his performance of Billie Jean on the 1983 television special Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever. In fact, I suspect Michael is moonwalking into heaven today.
Finally, as the world mourns the death of Michael Jackson, I can’t help from being frustrated by the reporting from many well know news anchors on how they refuse to give them his props. Why are they consistently saying that he is the “Self-Proclaim King of Pop”? There is nothing “Self-Proclaim” about it. There should be no question in anyone’s mind that he is truly the KING OF POP. So, I ask all of you in the news reporting business, give them his props … He earned it!
PW Brown is a profile writer for emPower magazine. The article is an excerpt from his published novel, DRAPER'S PASSION. He can be reached at pwbrown@draperspassion.com and more information on his book can be found at www.draperspassion.com.
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