I was going to do a show but EVERYONE is doing a tribute show, mixtape or video tribute so I decided to let the pen (keyboard) lead me into my own tribute to the greatest of all time, Michael Jackson.

When I say the greatest of all time I mean it.  I’m not focusing on his personal life, PROFESSIONALLY Michael Jackson can not be touched.  I heard a great quote on one of the many tributes happening this weekend; “people have never really witnessed a star unless you were alive in the 80’s to see Michael Jackson” and that is the damn truth.  He was the one person in the entire entertainment industry whose name transcends not only EVERY genre of music but cultures, continents and generations. I’m a die hard fan of hip hop and r&b but even I don’t know EVERY word to Biggie’s "Ready to Die" or Jay Z’s" Reasonable Doubt" BUT I can recite the entire Bad album backwards in my sleep.  



I have to say that was the album that did it for me.  Yes “Thriller” was the most successful and most quoted as being people’s favorites but I wasn’t around for it. Don’t get me wrong "Thriller" is a classic and also another album that I probably know better than my social security number at times but I was alive for the “Bad” era. I got to see the video premiers as a child, the concert footage from the Bad tours of people being carried across the sea of fans, I saw the “Captain CEO” 3D movie at Disneyland, I LIVED by the Moonwalker movie!  I had the vhs (kiddies goggle it) and can recall every scene of that entire movie.  Who couldn’t at the time?  What little girl didn’t wish they would get kidnapped by drug dealers just so that Michael can save her?  Who didn’t almost break their neck trying to recreate MJ’s “Smooth Criminal” forward lean dance move? What child didn’t wish they were an extra in the kid version of "Bad"?  Who didn’t want to be “Dirty Diana” for a night?  I can go on...



Michael brought originality to the music industry.  He was the one that told us to take a look in the mirror and make that change, he told us they didn’t care about us, he asked the questions that no one wanted to hear: Did you ever stop to notice all the blood we've shed before? Did you ever stop to notice this crying Earth, this weeping shore?  His videos broke boundaries…and pockets. Scream is STILL the most expensive video ever to be made at 7 million dollars (and these dudes think they're “ballin”? Absolutely not). He wore his heart on sleeve and was often persecuted for this but he stayed true to himself.  He brought a new confidence to the music world (the man couldn't have been more than 120 pounds when wet but that never stopped him from tearing his shirt off in front of millions).  His style was one of a kind.  People often make fun of the high water black pants and loafers but once again he stayed true to himself.  He let the world into his life and never apologized for being Michael.     

I remember seeing that infamous interview with him climbing trees and talking about sharing his bed with kids and like many others I thought “this guy has lost it” but when you look at his life you begin to wonder is it him that’s crazy or me for judging him.  The man had been in the spotlight since he was 8 years old.  He witnessed and suffered abuse as a child and he never had a real "childhood".  If I had been touring since I was 8 I’d be climbing trees at 40 too.  I’d have a mansion with everything in it that I never had as a child and I’d also want to share as much of it with other children as I could.  I love how the media can flip and change it’s tone on a person.  I’ve seen so many media outlets focusing on the negative controversial part of his life but not enough on the positive (go ahead and goggle the millions of dollars this man had donated to more than 2 dozen charities).  Our society is so quick to place humans on a pedestal and crucify them when they exhibit human characteristics.  He was different so he was judged and that's sad.  Everyone makes mistakes and he was far from perfect but Jesus Christ brought the dead back to life and you see what happened to him.  I never believed that Michael molested those kids and if the reports of Evan Chandler lying are true a LOT of people will be recanting a lot of their opinions on MJ.

I guess I was living in a fantasy world.  For some reason Michael seemed like the guy that would be around FOREVER.  I really believed he would be around when my kids were born.  I still had that hope that he would do one last tour in the US and that I would be able to experience his magic in person.  I’ve never seen him in person and never will but that’s just me being selfish, wanting him to stick around that much longer so that I can witness him in the flesh.  I don’t “mourn” people when they die.  It’s more of a celebration.  He is no longer living in this cruel judgmental world that persecuted and poked fun at him while he was living but quick to sing their praises to him now that he is gone.  He is finally at peace. He will forever and always have an influence on ANYONE that attempts to pick up a microphone.  He will be missed but his legacy will live on through his music. In my eyes, The King lives on.