MODERN MICHAEL JACKSON (1991 – 2010)

Excusez-moi? I beg your pardon? What did you say? 'You thought you heard all his music?' Don't crucify me if I'm wrong — but I highly doubt the fact that you or anyone was still a "die-hard" MJ fan after the 90s.

Unfortunately, after Michael Jackson's Dangerous (1991) album — his post-works were all deemed commercial failures. Majority of his music were overshadowed by the paparazzi and their sensational accusations & unrelenting tabloids that consumed the tail-end of his career...it was child molestation allegations & sexual abuse headlines that eventually ruined his monumental career and evidently — his abnormal life. 

Although still productive, his music took a backseat to anything & everything that wasn't "Breaking News" — additionally, the dawn of Hip-Hop culture and spawn of Rap music further hindered his music career because MJ just wasn't cool enough or simply wasn't down enough w/ the bling-bling, poppin' bottles, G's & hoe's!

And this is coming from a person who idolized MJ as a kid...I had his Thriller record w/ him posing on the inside of that record w/ a baby tiger -so f'in cool & penny loafers in elementary school...I remember showing-off the album to my best friend Peter S. and vaguely remember asking him, "Do you have Michael Jackson's record?" He replied, "No, but I can hum the tune to the song 'Beat It!" WTF?! LOLOLOL's] Sadly enough, the casual MJ fan gave-up on him & his music a long, long time ago and I can honestly say I did the same.

Although I would put nothing past any Michael Jackson fan (over 750 million records sold worldwide), the casual MJ fan most likely stopped listening to him after his Bad (1987) & Dangerous (1991) albums but they most certainly quit after the HIStory (1997) album.
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I -Kong, can honestly say that I am a "die-hard" MJ who gave-up on the "power of his music" when Invincible (2001) was released in the new millennium.

Invincible (2001) was his first "true" attempt to crossover into the modern/contemporary R&B/Hip-Hop field by hiring the most elite producer at the current time: Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins ("Don't Want To Be A Player No More" – Joe, "The Boy Is Mine" – Brandy & Monica, "Angel Of Mine" – Monica, "He Wasn't Man Enough For Me" – Toni Braxton, "Say My Name" – Destiny's Child, "Rock My World" – Michael Jackson, etc.) 

The End?

Fast forward a decade later, the King of Pop ~ Michael Jackson died unexpectedly on Thursday, June, 25th, 2009. The world mourned his death & his record sales skyrocketed...his chart sales was once again off-the-richter! As with any famous musician's death (Biggie, 2Pac, etc.), a posthumous album was due out...Sony Music Entertainment signed a $250 million deal w/ Jackson's Estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017 and were set to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death. 

I was skeptical about the quality of any posthumous albums because these were all unreleased or unfinished songs that an artist had in their catalog. Regardless of the reason, these are songs the artist never released or finished. 

What's even more disheartening is that Michael Jackson was perhaps the most extreme perfectionist the music world has ever seen. Every artist that has ever collaborated w/ him says he is far beyond driven to complete & perfect any song he creates — his level of perfection is unmatched & unparalleled in the music industry (which is evident in his tireless work habit: choreography, composing, dancing, singing & producing to the utmost extreme)...he maximized his talent because he pushed himself to be the best he could possibly be (we -too, should instill that type of motivation & work ethic in our lives as well).

The day was Friday, December 17th, 2010, I went to Best Buy and purchased Michael Jackson's "Michael", T.I.'s "No Mercy" & deadmau5's "4x4=6." Regrettably, I can honestly say I gave MJ's "new" album a 'one spin & done!' <--- I wasn't really feelin' the album –maybe because I subliminally knew it was a compilation of "unreleased" tracks that was hidden in his vault?

Ironically, another Michael...Michael S. asked how the album was, I told him, "It's just 'ok'...nothing special" He eventually stopped-by one weekend...we both listened to most of the album in my living room and were highly impressed by a few tracks –mainly "Monster" feat. 50 Cent & "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" feat. Lenny Kravitz. 

During the week, Michael S. kept texting & BBM-ing me saying the album is, "UN-REAL!" Being the stubborn person that I am, I stuck w/ my "original" claim that is was still just "okay" "it's good –nothing spectacular", etc. But then I really began playing listening to album...I would wake-up every morning and the "Michael" album would just put me in a damn good mood! It's a bonafide "feel-good" infectious album that makes you wanna dance and shake your butt!

After a week of listening to the album that I slept-on, I can honestly say it is One of My Favorite Albums of All-Time! (Bold statement, no?) Although it is a short album, 10 tracks clocking-in at under 42 mins., each & every track is UN-F*CKIN-REAL!
Please do not believe the skeptics who say it's not him singing or that the quality is lacking because after extensive & intensive research...I discovered that most of the songs were "officially" done, they just weren't released.

Feeding-off the energy & excitement of his " Michael" album, I became a "born-again" Michael Jackson fan...I began listening to all his forgotten albums...not his older stuff like Thriller (1982) & Bad (1987) but his more modern ones...records that people literally discarded or slept-on. 

Ultimately, I created a CD called, "Modern Michael Jackson (1991 – 2010)" It contains my absolute favorite MJ tracks that never went mainstream & became popular because pop music had changed considerably through-out the decade –straying away from the most dominant & most talented figure in music history.

Michael Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all-time by Guinness World Records. The following is the perfect assessment of Michael Jackson's post-1980's work that I came across on the internet:

"For the one-year anniversary since his tragic death, then, I thought it would be appropriate to draw attention back to the brilliance of his work. While some of the songs on this list will be well-known, others have received little attention. One of the goals of my book is to encourage a major re-assessment of Michael's post-1980s work, much of which is outstanding. Contrary to conventional wisdom, Jackson's artistry didn't decline after Thriller; much like the Beatles, it evolved in exciting and compelling ways.

Unfortunately, most media purveyors and music critics dismissed this evolution because a) they couldn't look past Jackson's tabloid persona, and b) he never outsold Thriller (a feat, incidentally, that no other artist accomplished either). But there are countless gems in his late albums, and many others that never even made it onto his studio records." — Joe Vogel is the author of the forthcoming book Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson (Sterling Publishing).

“MODERN” MICHAEL JACKSON (1991 – 2010) 

01.    “In the Closet” – Michael Jackson. (Dangerous 1991)
02.    “Can’t Let Her Get Away” – Michael Jackson. (Dangerous 1991)
03.    “Who Is It?” – Michael Jackson. (Dangerous 1991)
04.    “Give Into Me” – Michael Jackson feat. Slash. (Dangerous 1991)
05.    “This Time Around” – Michael Jackson feat. The Notorious B.I.G.
             (HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I 1995)
06.    “Morphine” – Michael Jackson feat. Slash.
             (Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix 1997)
07.    “Heartbreaker” – Michael Jackson feat. Fats. (Invincible 2001)
08.    “Butterflies” – Michael Jackson feat. Floetry. (Invincible 2001)
09.    “Speechless” – Michael Jackson. (Invincible 2001)
10.    “2000 Watts” – Michael Jackson feat. Teddy Riley. (Invincible 2001)
11.    “Hollywood Tonight” – Michael Jackson. (Michael 2010)
12.    "(I Like) The Way You Love Me" – Michael Jackson. (Michael 2010)
13.    "Monster" – Michael Jackson feat. 50 Cent. (Michael 2010)
14.    “Best Of Joy” – Michael Jackson. (Michael 2010)
15.    “Breaking News” – Michael Jackson. (Michael 2010)
16.    “Behind the Mask” – Michael Jackson. (Michael 2010)

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For those who would like a CD copy of Modern Michael Jackson (1991 – 2010), simply submit a request at: theKONGSHOP@Gmail.com -or- schedule a pick-up at any of the events hosted by me at: www.theKONGLIST.com


Please also remember to write, "Modern Michael Jackson (1991 – 2010)" on the subject line, thank you!

"Hee! Hee!!"

† R.I.P. — MICHAEL JACKSON — R.I.P. †