Forever the King of Pop

Beautiful track was lain in the recent aftermath. Props to Game for getting it together on such crazy short notice.

The Game - Better on the Other Side (Tribute to MJ feat. Chris Brown, Diddy, Polow Da Don, & Boys II Men)

While it kinda bothers to hear Chris Brown all over the chorus, everyone had their problems (MJ obviously included) and the world has to take in the whole picture of a troubled human being and try to respect someone's contributions positively to the world that they tried to make. So I can deal.

Every site and show in the world will be throwing out tributes and whatnot constantly for the near future and they really should. MJ is definitely not my generation of music, but I just checked last night and I got 55 songs from the king in my iTunes. And they've all gotten constant run. The man, musically, was unequivocally a genius. His voice, trademarks, dancing, composition, vision, and presence was irrefutable. He literally ushered in the era of mainstream, comercially-viable black artistry. It's impossible for us who weren't there to truly understand, but he started in the music industry as a child in the '60s. And he somehow transitioned that into his youth and adulthood leading up to literally being the single biggest music figure in the world in 1982 with Thriller. The biggest artist in the entire world. Only the Beatles and Elvis could even touch his level of success and influence.

Yes, everyone knows and has even told all the jokes. The allegations of child molestation, the facial reconstruction, the skin disease destroying his complexion, his prescription drug addiction, the marriages, everything surrounding Neverland Ranch, and even the erradic appearances with his own children. But what the majority of us can't speak to is the mental and physical abuse he himself took from his father as a child and all the tolls being a cultural icon since the age of 6 enacted upon him. We can never understand his mental state or world view from being one of the most recognizable and polorizing people in all of humanity. It's impossible. He was never for a moment in his formative years a normal human being. He never had an ounce of the privilege of privacy, subtlety, normality, or anonymity that we enjoy daily. That's why I pray in his passing that we can try to respect and not demean his legacy. He had serious issues, as we all do, and while we may not have enacted his alleged sins, we have no right continually harp upon, tarnish, and judge who we think he was and what we think he did. At least don't throw it all out perpetually into the world.

Michael Jackson somehow was able to funnel every bit of his soul into a body of music that no one in the coming age will ever be able to touch again. He is an historic treasure that was exposed to the world from the age of 6 to the age of 50. He took a very interesting and controversial journey through those years. But no one can deny his impact. He was given the title as "King of Pop". And he will forever be that. He was just about to restart his performing career with 50 already sold-out shows in London in the coming months. We, the world, are the ones who missed out.

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.