Michael Jackson: The Stranger In Moscow

How does it feel/When you're alone/and you're cold inside/Like a stranger in Moscow/Lord have mercy/Like a stranger in Moscow/We're talking danger, baby.

The lyrics to Michael Joseph Jackson's "Stranger in Moscow." There is no better song that captures the feelings and depth that Michael Jackson, The King of Pop, felt for most of his life. Our greatest entertainer of all time, was probably the most tortured. But through it all, Michael Jackson still gave us memories and excitement with little to no form of selfish reason.

Since an early age, Michael possessed a relentless since of self and emotion. As he breathed life into the lyrics to classics like "Got To Be There" and "Ben," there was always this raw talent to connect to his inner most soul and inflect a since of loneliness that would make the tough and stern cry. Where did this talent come from? Who taught him how to do such? I really don't know. But I do know his talent was sent from heaven. The most astonishing thing about Michael Jackson wasn't his eccentricities. But it was his ability to unselfishly give us music despite being attacked by the masses.

The whole world is mourning the death of Michael. He represents the end of an era. An era where music was a platform for super stardom. Your looks couldn't do it. Your personality couldn't do it. It took passion, great music, and the ability to perform and capture mass attention for more than 3 minutes and 30 seconds. It took raw talent. And most of all integrity.

Michael Jackson stood for something. He believed in the healing power of love ("We Are The World," "Cry," "Man In The Mirror,"). And that music was the platform to share that power. And that dancing was the formula for love. This is why I have a particular love for the albums Off The Wall, Triumph (The Jackson's), and Thriller. This was the era in which Michael turned his troubles into a 1-2 dance step. He was young and fresh. Cool and debonair. There were no musical constraints. He explored and defined the sound that is now known as "pop." Its not that I don't love his later works. There were some awesome pieces, "Remember The Time" and "Break of Dawn." But there was some since of tarnish. He was either trying to prove a point or trying to out do himself, which resulted in grunts and groans that were indecipherable ("Scream"). Those were great pieces of art, but it's a shame the price he had to pay to write such gems. Gone were the days of his lite, alluring vocals and lyrics like on "Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough," "Lovely One," and "PYT." Yes, Michael Jackson was our biggest star, but at a huge cost.

As I sit back and think about the musical life of Michael, I don't mourn for him so much because I know he's in a much better place. To be honest I'm more sorry to see him go the way he did. Yet, in the back of my mind I thought it was better for him to retire. But I still mourn for all the children and the future generations that will never get a chance to experience The King of Pop. However, there's still hope. Just recently, my 7 year-old cousin proclaimed that Chris Brown stole his moves from "Mickey Jackson," and my 3 year-old cousin thought she saw "Michael Jasmine" on TV when The Temptations was on VH1. I know it would be an extreme rarity, and I know there will never be another. I just hope there's another entertainer that will capture our attention as much as Michael Jackson has, but next time we will appreciate him or her while they're still on earth. The angel, Michael Joseph Jackson, was truly a stranger on earth. Now, he's where he belong--in heaven. All hail the King of Pop!

Brandy & Ne-Yo Cheating On Each Other On 'Decisions'

Ok. I must first start this blog by stating that I'm not a big fan of Ne-Yo, but I am a fan of his writing. His material falls flat when he performs it. (Maybe, I should do another blog post similar to this one about good writers/bad singers). But this duet with Brandy is real and authentic.

Brandy and Ne-Yo take on a practical turn about cheating. Many times we hear the after affects of cheating, which normally leads to busting somebody's window or a cat fight. But "Decisions" takes on a clever spin on cheating (the psychological aspect of deciding whether or not to cheat). My decision--this jam is HOT! Listen to the track above.

Ryan Leslie Puts His Fans 2 Work

Ok. I must admit I was suspicious of Twitter at first. But just like any other social networking site (MySpace & Facebook), I've become addicted to twittering. In fact, I think it's now my favorite pastime.

Anywho, let's get back on the subject. I follow Ryan Leslie on Twitter. Who knew this could turn into a job? Ryan was willing to give one of his followers $100 for increasing his followers. Whoever recommended him to their friends and increased his followers by 25 first, would receive $100. I missed out on this opportunity, but this is a smart way to get your fans to work for you for little or for nothing. So, the best advice I can give to any artist is to put your fans to work. If you have 4 or 100,000 fans, it doesn't matter. Your fans are your hardest workers, and with a little incentive they'll work their butts off. So use them. It's okay. They want to be used. [Click here for more details.]

Vitamin Water & MySpace Music Sync Up

Vitamin Water and MySpace are teaming up to give us free music. Yeah! They're starting an ad campaign for the launch of their latest bottled drink Sync with the help of 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, and Carrie Underwood. Vitamin Water will pay for the free MP3 downloads available on MySpace through Amazon. This is a good look for MySpace and Amazon, especially in a market were free is better than paying. I think it will further allure costumers into the idea of paying for things off a service that was commonly used for free "promotion." However, I don't believe it will create a surge in sales. It will most likely create awareness among those dedicated consumers who visit their favorite artists' MySpace everyday. But MySpace still needs to come up with a differential strategy to separate itself from other purchasing outlets. [AA]

Can 'The Man' Stop Piracy?

Can "The Man" stop piracy? No. Piracy is like shoplifting. You know that it will always be around. You just try to minimize it as much as possible. But how?

The UK creative industries seem to think they can eliminate piracy by joining forces and lobbing the government. Will this work? I doubt it. It will result in the same results. They will file a class action lawsuit against a 20-something college student resulting in bad press for the industry.

I'm sorry but the industry needs to accept that they lost. Haven't they learned their lesson with Napster. They missed out on a huge opportunity (to Apple--iTunes). So, what now? What can be done now? The industry can learn from their mistakes and recognize the opportunities that are ahead. There has been some steps in the right direction--imeem, Spotify, etc. But its not enough to stop piracy. In fact, nothing will ever stop the "free mindset." But it can be minimized with more legal options for consumers, within the concept of being "free." [F]

Tracks of the Moment: Busta Rhymes, TI, Mary J., & Hollyweerd

Ok here is a post I will try to keep up every week. I need to discipline myself. But I'm not going to make vague promises, hence the name "Tracks of the Moment" instead of "Tracks of the Week" or "...Day."

"Decision"

Busta Rhymes ft. Mary J. Blige, Jamie Foxx, John Legend, & Common

First up is Busta Busta. He teams up with Mary J. Blige, Jamie Foxx, John Legend, and Common on "Decision." I know. It sounds like he couldn't "decide" on who to sing the hook, but the appeal of the track transcends any chance of the track being over-done. It's a beautiful track that is timely and soothing. I don't smoke, but it's one of those songs that you just sit back and light up a blunt to relax after a stressful day at work. Hmmm!

TI ft. Mary J. Blige--"Don't Forget"

TI follows suit with another duet with Mary J. on "Don't Forget." And the hook is definately "unforgettable." I love it. Its another track thats reflective in nature, and of course The Queen brings the song to new heights. I definately won't forget.

Hollyweerd--"Automatic Classic"

Last but not least is the future of hip hop, Hollyweerd's "Automatic Classic." And that's what it is. I'll file this one under "riding music." It's one of those jams that you bump loudly for the whole neighborhood to hear on a hot summer day. And I can't stop singing the hook: This right here is an automatic classic.... I'll be checking for their new mixtape Candy for Kleptos.

Where R The Entrepreneurs?

Seriously. This is a perfect time to be an entrepreneur. The economy is in a recession. The music business is in a transforming stage (if not dead already). Yet, there is still room for innovation. Believe me when I say, "This is the best time to enter the 'bizness.'" Turning a threat into an opportunity is clearly a way to prove your tenacity and shrewdness within the music business.

The Internet is seriously leveling the playing feild for independent success. You can just look at the "Internet rapper" phenomenon. There's a plethora of free music out there in the form of mixtapes, and some of them are better than full-length albums. This is the "threat." How do we turn this into an opportunty--how do we monetize? I can't pretend I know how to do this. But please believe I'm trying to figure it out. It may not be in the form of a traditional record label, but there is a business model waiting to be formulated that will benefit both the artist and the "bizness."