Yin and Yang:Michael Jackson and Marshall Mathers

I never got to write my post about Michael Jackson after his funeral... I really wish I had so that people could understand the sincerity of my diction as I compose this new edition of the King's Law for you viewing pleasure. But I will revisit everything that you need to know and respect about MJ before I make one of the boldest comparison

Michael is the greatest entertainer to ever walk this earth. He was bred to live and die in his craft. As a child, through an abusive paternal relationship, MJ was trained on how to control his vocal talents and contribute to a music catalogue that dwarfs some people's music library collections... the boy is bad.

The amazing thing about Michael was not only his ability to appeal directly to pop music audiences, but his ability to keep their attention over time. Michael is one of the best vocalist to ever record and definitely one of the best dancers to hit the floor. Michael Jackson changed the game, which is why you'll still hear impersonations of his music in present day interpolations, samples, and vocal presentations from artists such as The Neptunes, Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo, Usher, and more than I care to list (because this blog isn't about them).

But looking deeper into who he is will tell a different story...

Michael not only was the greatest at his craft, he was a troubled individual. While he loved music, dancing, and his fans.. he hated the fame. He couldn't escape it. It's the reason why he built Neverland Ranch, to get away from external pressures and perceptions of how he chose to live his life at the time. While many argue he was a big kid in an old man's body, I think it has less to do with his mental maturity and more to do with his "life approach" if you will. Michael was very mature, you could tell this by looking at the lyrics in his song choice from the 80s on (when his solo career started to flourish because he stopped recording with "The Jacksons"). In "She's Out of My Life" he stated that "[he didn't] know whether to laugh or cry.... live or die, and it cuts like a knife..." The presentation of the words hit with a softer blow than you would expect just simply because of MJ's vocal range, however those lyrics show a darker side of his world that people seem to overlook. MJ realized the world wasn't perfect.... (this is huge)... however his reaction to this revelation was to approach it with the purest since of naivety that anyone had ever witnessed... he believed that if everybody acted as he did, the world would get better (i.e. Heal the World, Man in the Mirror, Will You Be There... etc.)

This is why MJ was getting caught up in the "messing with the babies" scandals... this is why he jumped into a fake marriage with Lisa Marie Presley... this is why he is truly a father to the kids he is raising, but we all know those aren't his babies (just like we know Forrest Jr. wasn't Forrest's baby in that movie.... Forrest and MJ are great historical figures, but those zygotes didn't form from their swimmers...sorry ya'll). He really thought he was doing no wrong.

Michael was so innocent that he was corruptable, in the sense that no one would EVER believe he could ever be THAT innocent, to the point that even he got fed up with it all. His "History" album, which was half greatest hits and half new releases, had alot of song on it that spoke to people not giving a fuck or him starting to not give a fuck in general... if you listen to it, it really sounds like Michael was trying to let everyone know that his career had finally gotten to a point that he couldn't take it anymore. It was true... because of the recurring allegations about child molestation, as well as because he was fully incapable of living what he considered a "normal" life, he became depressed....

Now look stage left.... We analyzed the good guy, but who's the bad guy? In EVERY situation there is a Yin and a Yang... very rarely do we get to see what the opposing force is, but today I'll conjecture that I found the menace that dares to compare lives with the late great King of Pop.

Enter Marshall Mathers... a young man from a major city (Detroit) that is as broke as Gary, Indiana ever dreamed to be... as a matter of fact, they dont even Dream much in Detroit. How does your city become historically recognized for building a technological innovation that we still use today, and yet it's one of the brokest cities in America... it doesn't help that Barry Sanders fucked their football franchise or that the Pistons gave false hope for the future with that recent Championship nobody speaks about anymore... it was a huge championship for the city, especially since they stole a 4-Peat from the "Shaq and Kobe" Lakers at the time... you would think that the team would get more respect... not likely...

The same could be said for Eminem... who if you think about it is just like MJ, just in different skin... Marshall is the best at what he does... let's get this clear. NOBODY can deliver lyrics over a beat like Em, people can't ever dare to copy his style because he switches it up between albums AND tracks unlike anybody else... he's more versatile than any lyricist still recording and on top of that, he's an actual fucking problem if he decides to battle you. Em's career started with battling his peers... the same flow he used to humiliate others and possible end their careers was used to record the sheer genius that is the Slim Shady LP... a CD that called its audience out for a battle.... aptly the public actually did respond with criticisms and jeers, however that was exactly what Em (as a battle rapper) wanted... now he had unlimited ammunition to keep the battle going on the Marshall Mathers LP, which is regarded by many to be a classic... at the very least it's a more-than-solid sophomore effort. What had become a solid fact at this point was that where MJ dared to be positive, Em promised to do wrong... he was the abrasive, offensive, yet talented antithesis of everything MJ had to offer.

It isn't until his third release "The Eminem Show" that we begin to actually learn who he is. With deep introspection and reflection we come to learn that (similarly to Michael Jackson) this man had dedicated his life to this craft, he had mastered it, he found a way to mass produce it for his followers, but he was also beginning to hate the fame. This of course didn't stop him from starring in a movie about his life and winning an Oscar for his writing.... this was before Three-Six... this put hip-hop on the front of the stage for a lot of people to view... he was actually bigger than Jay-Z for a moment... no exaggeration. The 8 Mile/Eminem Show combo was Marshall's "Thriller" if you will... his experimentation with new approaches to music that showed exactly how he had mastered the craft.

Sadly, Encore is what was released next... the album that actually expressed his distaste for the mandatory lifestyle that accompanied his career... this was Marshall's "History".... This was his lackluster effort... an effort that said "I'm kinda done with this shit..." and he was.... besides the few good singles from the album, it didn't get much positive attention... and after the touring and marketing was done pushing the album, he wouldn't release another one for 4 years.

So let's look back at this comparison... dont look at their accomplishments, only look at who they are...

Broke kids from broke cities, forced into music by their family obligations, giving them the chance to do what they love while simultaneously disallowing what they consider to be a normal life. They are highly regarded for their talents, loved and adored by their fans, so much so that people will fight tooth and nail to defend them even when they are making bad music. In fact they're so confident in what they do, one will make music about Zombies, and one will kill his daughter's mother... and they'll be loved for it. Nobody can make a song about random topics like these two... name somebody else who did...

OH... and because their "should be perfect, yet it's still imperfect" lives became so public and nobody understood why they were anguished.... they both became addicted to drugs.

Sadly one artist, on the eve of one his largest performance opportunities "This Is It", died as a result of that addiction... around the same time, the other artist was attempting to stumble back into the game after being emotionally drained by the death of his best friend. The result was "Relapse"... which was actually a decent effort in terms of delivery, but it definitely seemed as if he relapsed into his old shady antics with the lyrical content about incest-rape and murder... however, his delivery approach was new and innovative... and while it was vastly unappreciated by many, it still won a Grammy.

This is the setup for what I believe to be his BEST ALBUM to date... Recovery. Whereas Marshall Mathers is the Yang in the music world to the Yin being Michael Jackson, this album fully illustrates that point. The menace is back... still mentally conflicted and misunderstood yet inspired by the lack of positive response from his fans, he has become a mad scientist of sorts by dropping 17 (19 in the deluxe) tracks of straight lyrics... no long ass hooks, no fancy features (minus Wayne and Slaugherhouse)... just him showing to you why it is he is still in the position he is in.

He IS what MJ would be if he were evil and rapped instead of singing. He is dedicated, he is depressed, he is dominant, he is doomed to continue doing this until it kills him. Appreciate the music for what it is worth... you won't find another artist who is this honest about and with himself through his music, you won't find another story as with a more expected tragic end. While other artists retreat from giving their all and worry about what they will get from continuing, this artist continues to put forth efforts as if he's not only working to eat... but this is his meal. You can't ask for more from somebody who you put your support behind.

Now that MJ is gone, Em is what we have in the form of a pure entertainer... the man who lives his performance so that you can go on enjoying your life... the man who gave up his life so that the quality of his craft could be maximized. The pure and the corrupt... The Yin and Yang of our musical generation...