In Honor of a King

Remembering Michael Jackson, the Man in the Mirror

By Kristin Gray

AFRO News Editor

(June 30, 2009) - Michael Jackson lived in a world imbued with sprinkles of whimsical fantasy and fleeting moments of childlike naivete. The walnut-brown skinned boy with a halo of downy indigo hair never stopped clamoring for those modest, unaffected childhood days he'd never seen, even as he toiled into adulthood and reached the unexplored echelons of pop brilliance.

But reality, in all its caustic authenticity, lay rapt just beyond the placid gates of Jackson's California Neverland Ranch. He was misunderstood and manipulated by the media, hounded by sordid rumors never proven true and flooded with colossal legal battles.

But the interminable din of his critics, who viciously crucified him on the pages of gutter press tabloids and canonized publications alike, could never siphon Jackson's reign as the king of pop, nor could they disparage the mark of genius first shown when he rose to prominence from Gary, Ind.'s, blighted industrial corridors.

When the first tenuous reports of Jackson's death at age 50 dribbled across airwaves and the bottom of TV screens on June 25, the world let out collective groan and began to mourn the first Black artist ever featured on MTV and the life of a transformative figure who sold over 750 million albums, a vast number that dwarfs all other musical greats.

"Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, a longtime friend, in a statement. "Michael did with music what they later did in sports, and in politics and in television. No controversy will erase the historic impact."

In the Beginning 
Jackson began his meteoric rise to superstardom at age five and was a standout singer and dancer among his eight talented siblings. With his father Joseph's admittedly stern persistence, the Jackson 5 went on to sign with Motown records, once Black entertainment's epicenter, before sailing into the musical stratosphere with hits like " I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There." The Jackson 5 instantly became teen heartthrobs for young girls of all races, blending the crude line of division that for decades had separated the Sinatras from the Sammy Davis Jrs.and the Elvis' from the Etta James'.

But it was Jackson's departure from the group and their radio-friendly, bubblegum brand of pop music that launched his iconic career in 1979. He released Off the Wall, a disco-infused collection of dance hits, which to date has sold over 20 million records worldwide. Seemingly unstoppable, Jackson followed up three years later with an album that marked the apex of his storied career.

The Thriller Era and Beyond
The release of Thriller cast Jackson as a more somber, enigmatic persona. Images of his outstretched hand swathed in a gem-studded glove became engrained in society’s collective consciousness as the trademark of a pop king. The saccharine-sweet voice of his youth was replaced with a unique new sound rife with squeals, dental clicks and edgy aggression.

For a record breaking 80 consecutive weeks, seven singles from Thriller trumped the Billboard 200, including "Billie Jean," "Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ and "Beat It." At its peak the album sold a whopping 1 million copies a week.

"It was a diving situation," Quincy Jones, executive producer of Thriller and close Jackson friend, said of Thriller in a 2005 interview with Entertainment Weekly. After the legendary artist died, Jones said he'd "lost a little brother, and part of my soul has gone with him."

The title track's innovative 14-minute mini-movie proved to be a groundbreaking feat for Jackson's career, singlehandedly reinventing the music video from a simple-taped performance to a whirlwind extravaganza. Jackson also revolutionized the fashion world, making candy apple red leather jackets, oversized aviator sunglasses and slim-fitting parachute pants 1980s staples.

The following year Jackson debuted the moonwalk, an ethereal foot glide that inspired legions of Londoners to stage a mass outdoor moonwalk days after his death. And while his precision dance moves electrified nearly every racial demographic on earth, his influence is perhaps best seen in the meticulous pop and lock ticks of today's R&B entertainers and the feather-soft falsetto vocal flips of modern crooners.

A new generation of pop stars like Usher, Chris Brown and Justin Timberlake have cited Jackson as the progenitor of their musical style. Singer Ciara told MTV Jackson was, "everything to me. He's really a part of the reason why [I'm an entertainer]. He's going to be remembered in so many ways for me. I feel it's important for me to continue to let my generation know how important he was to music."

One of the rare artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, Jackson also snagged multiple Guinness World Records in his 50 years, including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time."

Out of Our Lives
Although Jackson never reclaimed the trailblazing success he garnered in the mid '80s, his following chart toppers, "Black or White," "Scream" and "They Don't Really Care About Us" introduced him to the next era of music lovers, most too young to recall the cherubic-faced Black boy with the crystal-clear voice.

Only weeks away from what may have been the comeback tour of a lifetime, Jackson abruptly left the music industry void of a consummate entertainer capable of executing song, dance and performance with equal precision and alacrity.

What's left behind is a vacant throne in the music arena, one hard earned through a lifetime's worth of demanding rehearsals, feverish concerts, stunning successes and crushing defeats. But as sales of his albums and paraphernalia skyrocket across the globe, Jackson continues to live through the melodic, sometimes heart wrenching words of his songs, and the savored memories of fans.

All hail the king.


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