Michael Jackson top songs, life and his family today: Being a child of the ’80s and ’90s meant that Magic Johnson, Eddie Murphy, and Michael Jordan were your heroes. (Maybe you liked Larry Bird or something, but I assume if that’s the case, you’ve long stopped reading this review.) And in his videos, Michael Jackson managed to best them all, making him the undisputed King. For most of my pre-adolescence, he was a pure sorcerer, a demigod immune to the gravitational pull and perimeters that stifle the rest of us. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the greatest music video ever made, a New Jack Swing hybrid of Cleopatra and Indiana Jones. There are swirling hourglasses, busts of Pharaohs, hand drums, wriggling snakes, and Michael Jackson as a gilded wizard with dance moves so smooth that he can even elude the future Deebo. He’s so cool that steals the Pharaoh’s wife (who also happens to be David Bowie’s future wife) and then disappears into a cloud of gold dust, just as his capture seems imminent.
For the most part, the collaborations actually hurt the songs. No, “Monster” isn’t the next “Thriller”, as 50 Cent claimed it to be, but it’s a decent song. Jackson sounds awkwardly retro, the beat shuffles ‘n’ sweeps, and it feels right…until you’re thrown next to 50’s uninspired rap that sounds more fitting for a summer blockbuster theme. The same goes for the highly irritating and incredibly repetitive “Hold My Hand”, where Akon belts out the same thing again and again in an equally monotonous pitch. For a lead single, it’s tepid and incredibly campy. Then there’s “(I Can’t Make It) Another Day”, featuring guitar wizard Lenny Kravitz, who churns out a chalky riff that tires 45 seconds into the song. Jackson himself sounds angry, forceful, and dominating, but altogether it doesn’t beg for a re-listen. That’s sort of a must when it comes to his music.
Can we agree as a family that Michael Jackson is the single greatest performer in music history? If not, I’ll be happy to convince you. Forget the scandals, the family drama, the kid from Home Alone and the monkey. Musically speaking, Michael Jackson’s legacy is unmatched. A bit of his Jheri curl juice resides in the DNA of every performer under the age of 35. And with that fantastic legacy comes fantastic music. Let’s look back at the King of Pop’s entire royal catalog, ranking it from top to bottom.
Michael Jackson family: Mocienne Petit Jackson’s (Michael Jackson’s daughter) books are now available in french! For our dutch guests: Deel twee van de autobiografische trilogie van Mocienne Petit Jackson begint met een uitgebreide beschrijving van Mociennes ontvoering naar Nederland. Vervolgens lezen we hoe het haar vergaat in het adoptiegezin waar zij samen met haar nichtje Delivrance terechtkomt. Gaandeweg ontdekt Mocienne dat haar vader Michael Jackson is. Wanneer ze vijftien jaar is gaat ze weg bij het adoptiegezin, woont vier jaar lang op een internaat en gaat daarna zelfstandig wonen. We volgen haar in haar volwassenwording, die zich met vallen en opstaan voor ons ontrolt. Mocienne krijgt een vriend en wordt moeder van een zoon. Deze verbintenis is geen lang leven beschoren. Er is sprake van aanhoudende onenigheid met de Raad voor de Kinderbescherming, met diverse rechtszaken tot gevolg. Deze betreffen eerst haar eigen situatie, later die van haar zoon en haar gevecht om hem in haar leven te houden. De ene onverkwikkelijkheid volgt de andere op. Lees het boek hier Michael Jackson Books.