The King of Pop redefined the term “larger than life” in his 50 years on this planet. Somehow, 10 years after he was killed, he’s more alive than ever.

King of Pop, by Kayla Carlile

In his final studio album released during his lifetime, 2001's Invincible, Michael Jackson opened with a gritty, hard-hitting hip-hop attack on his critics entitled “Unbreakable”. The track, produced by Rodney Jerkins, was a musical tribute to his late collaborator, The Notorious BIG, who had been murdered just 4 years prior. Musically based on BIG’s 1994 track “Untouchable”, and lifting a little-known Biggie verse from basketballer-rapper-actor Shaquille O’Neal’s “Can’t Stop The Reign”, Michael taunted his detractors, singing

I know you hate it, and you can’t take it

You’ll never break me, ’cause I’m unbreakable

If we believe that life does, in fact, imitate art, then Michael’s words were prescient. You see, art is exactly what Michael was referring to, once stating:

“To escape death, I attempt to bind my soul to my work”

It should not, perhaps, have come as a surprise that the beginning of the 10th anniversary of Michael’s death was marked by a parade of opportunists, an array of money-grabbing chancers, a cacophonous media parade, a place where fiction appeared to weigh more than fact, where a generation raised on “reality” television gorged themselves on their staple diet of slick editing, manipulation, and a distorted reality. That was the atmosphere surrounding his life for many years, and death doesn’t stop opportunities to cash in, especially with a multi-billion-dollar Estate.

10 years, indeed. The timing alone ought to have given rational people pause. The complete and utter implosion of the “documentary” that followed wasn’t news to anyone that had, you know, actually followed the case for the last 6 years, and already seen it fall apart several times. Frankly, the whole thing was downright embarrassing for everyone involved in the production. When both the film’s director and distributor resort to fake Twitter accounts that even someone frozen for 50 years, and defrosted purely to explain the concept of social media to could spot, you know you’ve well and truly lost any shred of credibility. Failing corporations, failing directors, failing extortionists and a parade of has-been and would-be journalists attempting to understand the concept of “wokeness” despite just learning the word is indeed a sorry sight. You can try to stop me, but it won’t do a thing.

What quickly became apparent was that the films creators and supporters were masters of mental gymnastics. We were told that it simply didn’t matter that the stories made no sense, that their timelines had been invalidated. It didn’t matter that they recounted tales of locations that simply didn’t exist. It didn’t matter that a middle-aged woman expressed happiness at a man’s death despite her son, the so-called victim, having no concept of any alleged wrongdoing for another 4 years. It didn’t matter that, a multi-million dollar lawsuit, a somewhat important fact by any stretch, was conveniently omitted, as was a lengthy relationship between one accuser and a young woman that directly contradicted the given timeline. It didn’t matter that an FBI investigation and a criminal court case had both cleared his name. It didn’t matter that two further men, who were even named in the film, were also both on record — along with countless others — stating nothing short of the complete innocence of Michael Jackson. Those things don’t matter, they said. The PR strategists worked overtime, planting articles to suggest that the legacy of Michael Jackson was irreparably damaged. We were told that radio would stop playing him. We were told that you wouldn’t hear his music in public. We were told that streams and sales would drop.

Any PR person would love for you to take their stories, spin and opinions as facts. That’s the gig, right? Tell a lie long enough to make it the truth? That one? Except there is one thing that changes the dynamic here. When faced with a court case against a billion dollar Estate, those “facts” get exposed, even by the least discerning reader, for what they are - A thinly-veiled threat. How much damage can we do to a money machine, before the cost of what we want is less than the cost of the brand damage? It doesn’t take Vito Corleone to tell you it is strictly business. A tale as old as time.

But time is a fickle friend. The passage of time tears into unsubstantiated narratives. How long can you hold on? How long can you hope to be protected when every wall is crumbling? How long do you think the public will support an idea that has been well and thoroughly debunked, over and over again?

Michael Jackson, HIStory Statue

Here we stand, in June 2019. Collectively, a moment shared in the fabric of time that stands apart from all others. 10 years ago, today. Everybody knows where they were, and what they were doing, when time stopped, the world grew visibly darker and the energy changed. We all remember where we were when the news broke. It seemed inconceivable then and still now. Michael became one with the universe, freed from physical bonds.

And just like that, a new path formed in his wake. Every passing, every collective mourning we’d been through, from Elvis to John Lennon, from Kurt Cobain to Tupac Shakur suddenly felt like a trial run. Nothing could compare to the seismic state of shock. Nothing would compare again for another 7 years, until the world lit up in purple in April 2016 for another pinnacle of black excellence from the American midwest, the only other person whose talent could go round-for-round with Michael, the respect and rivalry that pushed both to greater heights — Prince Rogers Nelson.

Michael Joseph Jackson and Prince Rogers Nelson

The challenge for both their respective Estates has been how to navigate the assets of two of the biggest stars of all time in a modern music and entertainment business. Make no mistake, both the successes and the failures that they make will be “Deceased Icon 101” in studies of the music business in the decades to come.

So, months down the line after the false documentary, how true are the words of the “Leaving Neverland” PR posse and its supporters? Let’s look. A handful of minor radio stations may or may not have stopped playing his music. I recall a particularly memorable exchange on Twitter with a UK radio station aimed at tradespeople, where the programmer confidently asserted they would stop playing Michael. A quick look into their statistics indicated less than 1000 regular listeners — the station itself had less than 100 Twitter followers. A crushing blow. The Simpsons, a show that hasn’t been relevant to pop culture in nearly two decades, stated they’d pull an almost 30 year old episode starring Michael, out of circulation. Another crushing blow.

Meanwhile, Twitter poll after Twitter poll ended in landslide victories supporting Michael’s innocence. Meanwhile, during my trip to Las Vegas in April, I personally witness the Michael Jackson ONE show at Mandalay Bay being sold out, night after night after night, with the merchandise shop packed so full of customers that one could barely move. Upon attending Janet Jackson’s opening show of her residency, cheers and dancing erupted across the arena when her DJ played several of her brothers songs before her show. The Quincy Jones show last weekend at The O2, showed Michael Jackson fans in full force, with the loudest cheers of the night happening when Michael appeared on video screens, and at least 90% of the show consisting of Michael’s songs. And frankly, I hear his music more than ever from passing cars, in pubs, bars, restaurants and clubs. As I type this, #10YearsWithoutMichaelJackson is the Number 1 trending topic on Twitter, filled with people sharing their beloved memories of Michael. Spotify and YouTube stats show that more people are watching and listening to Michael than ever before. The facts, and the numbers, don’t lie. Even the mass media has begrudgingly admitted that the “initial wave of negative publicity hasn’t greatly diminished the King of Pop’s image or the enduring popularity of his music.”

As for that film? It’s over. The stories were debunked, the lies were exposed. They failed to convince the public, and the public moved on. Turns out you need evidence for that and even Oprah can’t save you this time. Their greatest mis-step was relying on shock value and the bank-ability of Michael’s name for ratings in lieu of evidence and actual content. The endless drone shots. The bad acting. Between those, the laughably transparent claims and obvious lies, they thought they could sustain a FOUR hour film? No wonder the ratings dropped like a lead balloon. As for public interest, here’s a graph of what happened since the airing. That’s what you call flatlining.

If you take a swing at the King, you best not miss.

You can try to stop me, but it wont do a thing

No matter what you do, I’m still gonna be here

Through all your lies and silly games

I’m a still remain the same, I’m unbreakable

10 years gone? Perhaps. Yet, we rightfully continue to celebrate Michael Jackson — the boy who became the King and showed us all that magic was possible. And with that, the world overwhelmingly continues to cry out, “Long Live The King!”

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My name is Casey Rain and I am an award-winning musician, documentarian and writer from the United Kingdom. I have guest-lectured at Universities around the world, including the University of Minnesota, on the music business, documentary production, and the life and career of Prince Rogers Nelson, as well as releasing several records on international major labels with the critically-acclaimed British Asian band Swami. You can follow me on Twitter here.