Last week the world lost the greatest entertainer of all time.
Never before has a musical icon catapulted to the level that Michael Jackson reached, and considering his ability to garner fans of different ethnicities throughout the world; it’s doubtful that any other artist in our lifetime will ever come close.
While I can certainly appreciate Jackson’s dance moves, it has always been the lyrics and messages of his songs that resonated with me. From sweet affirmations of love and support in “I’ll Be There,” “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” and “You Are Not Alone” to socially conscience songs of accountability and self-reflection such as “Man in the Mirror,” “Black and White” and “We Are The World.” Add Jackson’s impressive dance moves to his powerful lyrical repertoire and you have the world’s greatest overall entertainer – I can’t think of a single artist today who is even close to achieving the fanfare that Jackson garnered.
As profound of an entertainer that Jackson was, he wasn’t perfect, nor did he always make the wisest decisions. However, given his untimely death, the loss his children are experiencing and the pain of his parents and siblings – it’s important to not focus on the negative aspects.
Jackson began performing at the age of five. Ever since then, the pop icon has not been able to live a “normal” life – that’s a tremendous sacrifice. While he earned millions of dollars and countless accolades, Jackson essentially sacrificed his life and any semblance of a childhood so that millions of people could be enriched by his music. Jackson understood this and often said that such an existence was the job God had given him.
As we reflect on Jackson’s legacy it’s important to remember that he single-handedly changed the culture of the world – his troubled past doesn’t matter at this point.
On Sunday, the BET awards paid homage to Jackson throughout its broadcast, as stars performed classic songs and tried their hand at the infamous moonwalk. BET had the challenge of completely revamping the program within three days to honor Jackson – while the transition may not have been as smooth as some would have liked, I’m proud of the fact that the network was the first to formally memorialize the fallen icon.
There were, however, some decisions that BET made at certain individuals’ request that I feel were unfair.
One such example was from Beyonce’s camp. Insiders say that upon learning that former Destiny’s Child member LaToya Luckett was scheduled to perform, Beyonce’s manager and father Matthew Knowles demanded that either Luckett be prohibited from performing or Beyonce wouldn’t perform.
Another account involved Beyonce’s husband, rapper Jay Z. According to reports, BET scheduled Chris Brown to do a performance tribute to Michael Jackson. Aside from R & B singer Usher, Brown is the only artist today whose dance moves are heavily influenced by Jackson. Brown was recently the subject of major controversy as he and former girlfriend singer Rhianna were involved in a physical altercation, of which Brown pleaded guilty and was sentenced to community service. Rhianna is Jay Z’s protégé. Jay Z told BET officials if they allowed Brown to perform, he nor wife Beyonce would perform during the show.
BET accommodated Knowles and Jay Z’s demands, though it’s unfortunate that the network would get involved in such mess. BET should have gone with its original plan rather than making it all about certain artists. It would have been great to see Luckett, who has a single at the top of the charts, perform. It also would’ve been wonderful to see Brown remind us of the Jackson of yesterday…his performance would have taken the awards program to another level.
Circle City Classic has a new leader in Marc Williams. Williams has a tremendous background in marketing and sports management as well as relationships with entertainers and companies that will enhance Classic. I’m sad to see former Executive Director Tony Mason leave Classic, but he’s got a great opportunity with the 2012 Super Bowl. I’m confident that Williams and Mason will both do outstanding jobs in their respective areas.
