MY HUFFINGTON POST BLOG
MICHAEL JACKSON: BEYOND GREAT
I’m starting to believe that’s a destination; the next step in life once you get that title.
It seems we’re living in a world where people build you up just so they can break you down. No one has ever really come back to the level that got them there in the first place.
So I ask you, was there a stage left big enough for Mike to moonwalk on that would have satisfied the hunger of someone who is beyond great? Honestly, I don’t think so. I said it plenty of times to every artist I’ve worked with: if I were to produce a record that sold over 40 million, you people would never see me again in that light. Cause, after all the applause, award winning and love comes the hate, in all forms, sizes and shapes, and you can only ignore it for so long before the competitor in you is awakened. After a while, that hate starts making you think it’s possible to outdo what’s already been done. Mike had already achieved something that no one else could. That was his destiny.
When the media first started reporting on his death I was in New York. The minute I heard the news I was on the plane LA. As soon as I touched down the coverage started blowing up, and in all those reports they talked about “Thriller” being the biggest-selling album ever, then jumped right to, “But after that, he could never seem to top that and his legal problems, etc, etc.”
First off, no one; I repeat NO ONE, has topped that and never will!!! Even in death he’s done something no other artist has done before: He broke records by being the first artist eva to sell 2.5 million downloaded songs, and counting! As of today, he owns the entire top nine positions on Billboard’s Top Pop Catalog Albums chart. No artist living today can match that.
But back to my original point: This being a world-stopping moment, I got a chance to view this world I live in for what it really is. I’ve felt that pressure cooker that the public puts you through when you’ve achieved a certain level of success and no one gives you props for what you’ve already done. Instead, they say, “So, whatchu got for us now? What’s next?”
Don’t let that small mindset take away from what a great artist has already given us. No one can touch what he did. We were blessed to have someone with his incredible talent living among us. God put Mike here to do what he did and wasn’t gonna allow the devil and his helpers to destroy something so beautiful. He put him on the biggest stage of all. The whole world loved Mike, and Mike gave that love for his fans back tenfold. No one, not even President Obama, can top that.
Quincy Jones said it all the other day in his tribute to Mike on a blog post for the Los Angeles Times.
“This blessed artist commanded the stage with the grace of an antelope, shattered recording industry records and broke down cultural boundaries around the world, yet remained the gentlest of souls. Michael Jackson was a different kind of entertainer. A man-child in many ways, he was beyond professional and dedicated. Evoking Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis Jr. and James Brown all at once, he’d work for hours, perfecting every kick, gesture and movement so that they came together precisely the way they were intended to. Together we shared the ’80s, achieving heights that I can humbly say may never be reached again and reshaped the music business forever.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jermaine-dupri/michael-jackson-beyond-gr_b_224789.html
Dear Michael,
The first time I felt compassion was the night of USA Africa, I was 10 years old and learned your name. Listening to Heal the World opened a tender place in my heart which has only continued to grow. Now, I shoulder the pain and burden of others, helping to bring them peace and joy, if only for one moment. I do it in my way as you did it in yours. That night set me on a path toward my life purpose, and it began with your words.
Thank You.
I, and others, felt on the inside what the press has allowed people to see you as on the outside. Now, we look at you and see your sheer beauty in so many ways. Now we look at what you’ve left us with and realize the love we always had for you. We are all shamed by the mistake we made allowing the press to maliciously overshadow your essence with unjust controversy and greed, by not standing up for you as strong as we should have, by letting you forget that you were so loved. And you are so loved.
Your compassion, genuine nature, perfection, empathy, persistence, resilience, humor, creativity, innocence, will and most of all the depth of your pain mixed with the depth of your love will be missed so very much, so very much. The words you would speak to the public were so open, so honest and loving…the world just didn’t know how to understand it. They were scared of such a force.
Because of you I will walk each day with my head held high, I will take the power I have within and use it for good, I will find the forgiveness for myself that I need. Because of you I will work harder to see the beauty in this world, moving away from the urgency of difficulty and pain. Because of you I will always be there for the people that need me and I will learn to tell them that I love them. Because of you I will never let others steal the spirit I have in life and will always believe in magic. Because of you, I will.
You have lived so many lifetimes in one, but were cut short. I don’t think you ever walked a step you were not destined for. There are the moments I’d like to put in a glass box so they wouldn’t have to end, the seconds I’d hoped would tick a little slower, the minutes that could count as half. There are the moments I could be locked in for a lifetime.
I will think of you Michael Jackson, and I will think of you fondly when I do…I wish I could have known a person like you, there are just too few.
I hope and pray that your family will come together at this time to build the legacy you deserve in the face of all the “leeches and vampires” who don’t deserve the air they breathe.
With my hand on my heart I salute you.
Love Always, Lisa M.
RIGHT HERE (HUMAN NATURE MIX) – SWV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOKd_et0A4o
“HOME” by Stephanie Mills – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrvQrYi7mGU&feature=related
I really feel what you said. people expect so much and when others dont live up toit they try to bring them down. the news hsould be highlighting what he was first famous for!! the entertainment not the negative stuff.
just thought I’d share this: Siedah Garrett briefly talks about how Mike touched her life and then performs the song she co-wrote, Man in the Mirror, with the Agape Choir here in LA. Talk about the spirit of MJ being in a place. I didn’t get the Staples confirmation, but I truly hope the performances are as heart felt as this one. http://bit.ly/F1U2g
Peace! And I mean that…
Very nice post. He is not perhaps or arguably the greatest entertainer of all time – the numbers speak for themselves. He IS the greatest entertainer of all time. But to me, I love the man for far more than his entertainment value. Spread this around everywhere for those who say he is too celebrated: The Guiness Book of World Records Millenium issue lists Michael Jackson under Most Charities Supported By A Pop Star, with a staggering 39 international organizations including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the American Cancer Society. It’s been estimated he may have given up to $500 million to charity in his lifetime.
Beyond the glitz and the controvery this man was a true humanitarian. I wish the media would speak about that more.
hi jermaine
i’m really impressed of how you support and defend Micahael…. i am one of his avid fans who until now is still crying and not accepting what happened to him…
i hope you will put God in your relationship with Janet, this is being Catholic, man and i pray this will blossom and will end in marriage and both of you will be forever one.
you made me happy upon knowing you’re with janet
take Good care of her for Michael!
i love Michael so much and i also love the people who support him.
GOD bless your relationship with janet…. your family and her family.
dimple