https://twitter.com/asap__rickey/status/1260316916813631495
I sincerely hope that I’ve done justice to MJ and this album which I know was important to him and the fandom. Please spread and let me know what you think. 
A Track-By-Track Synopsis of Michael Jackson’s History 25 Years Later
The 90’s for Michael Jackson was a turbulent time for the lifelong showman, to say the least. Coming into the decade, he was the most beloved star in the entire world. Negative press had dogged him since the mid 80’s, yet his image hit an all-time low late in 1993. He remained the most famous man in the world with a dedicated fanbase. Yet, the allegations made every move he made afterwards be seen with suspicion and judgement. He spent much of the decade explaining himself as a man, with focus on his art minimized at every turn which is a shame because the artist continued to grow as a musician.
Today, his record HIStory: Past, Present and Future Book I is one of the best selling albums of all time, certified 8x platinum (4x for the actual album as it is a double-disk release) with sales of over 20 million worldwide. Adjusted to account for streams, it has sold over 30 million album equivalent units. It contained some of his boldest statements and most enduring pieces of music. Yet at the time of release, it was dogged by controversy and disdain from rock critics, suppressing many of the messages and the brilliance of the music itself. Before HIStory was even released, Michael Jackson was considered by many parties to be finished as a commercial icon. Michael and Prince both dominated the 80’s in parallel lanes. Yet by the 90’s, the music industry didn’t believe in either. In a poll by anonymous music executives taken in 1994, Michael Jackson didn’t rank in the top 20 of hottest music acts. Many declared his career as finished, with one even saying Jackson was “wounded as a commercial property.” Others went as far as to say, “I think it’s over”.
The rage and frustration manifested in Jackson compelled him to fight back with his next music release. An influx of new material saw Jackson defy Sony’s desire to push out a greatest hits album as quickly as possible to remind the world of who he was. Jackson was back in his element and determined to make a statement. Twenty-five years later, HIStory remains a powerful album, both in music and message. After a tumultuous 2019 for Michael Jackson’s legacy and racial tensions are high as ever in the United States, his messages on HIStory remain just as relevant, almost prophesied. He included two themes throughout the album, sometimes a combination and sometimes a separate showcase. Jackson wanted to clearly display his musical versatility and remind the world that he had earned the title “King of Pop.” He also wanted to remind the world that beyond the controversy was a man who felt it all, and now that man was utterly outraged. Thus, HIStory became Jackson’s most personal album. As long-time Jackson engineer, Bruce Swedien, stated, Dangerous and History became “the story of Michael Jackson”.
After a year of pent-rage and frustration, Michael Jackson entered his new era swinging. The grooves of Scream combined with the forceful lyrics and vocal deliveries send two messages. Firstly, “I am still Michael Jackson. I’m still that guy who made “Billie Jean”, “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough”, “Bad”, and countless other songs In the soundtrack of people’s lives. I can still take over the music world at the drop of a track.” Secondly, “I am Michael Jackson and now I have something to say; I’ve had enough”. The music speaks for itself. Compared with the light-hearted and utopian rock sound of Black Or White, the vicious electric pop blizzard that culminated into Scream was a dark move for Jackson. The carefree smile seen in the Black or White video was replaced with furious shouts, disgusted scowls and matching forceful, erupting vocals in Scream and its video. The multi-cultural acceptance and ethnic dancing is replaced with various scenes depicting outlets of frustration and the first and last shared dance sequence between Michael and his super-star sister Janet Jackson. Michael opened the History era telling the world and his naysayers that he wasn’t holding back anymore, and what’s more he had Janet to back him up. “Stop pressuring me and stop FUCKING with me” was dismissed as an odd move for someone who appealed heavily to children, yet clearly the message had been felt. In a time of Tupac’s “Me Against the World” and Biggie Smalls’s “Juicy”, Jackson’s outburst of fury was more well-placed than critics of the time would have liked to admit. There is then more significance in Jackson’s deeper use of hip-hop influence to deliver his messages. Perhaps knowing whom the message was directed to put many critics into a strange position. It was certainly more well-received than some would have liked. This time, Jackson’s uneasy views of the world had years worth of personal experiences on his side.
Scream continues Michael’s opening track strategy since Thriller. He comes out fast and upbeat, with a new view of and message to the world. From concerns about feeding babies, to who’s bad, to I found peace within myself, it’s now “I can’t take it anymore!”. And it works brilliantly. A contemporary review of History by Armond White reads, “it’s insipid for reviewers to complain that History’s anger is personally motivated- OF COURSE IT IS.” And of course, Jackson’s anger is justified. Scream works as Jackson’s tone-setting opener as again an innovative, ahead-of-the pack R&B/Hip-hop & pop style blend. Thumping bass drums, an electronic lead sound, a subtle, robotic bass guitar are the leading sounds of the groovy, thrash upon an ear song that is Scream. Late in the song is a sudden moment of calm, of contemplation as Janet and Michael seemingly survey the world. As the scream giving way to a thundering guitar solo symbolizes, it is these moments where they’ve sit back and watched injustice unfold upon themselves and others that have now boiled over into the fury depicted in the song. Beyond that, is a raspy, snarling, forceful, but most of all, ultra precise vocal delivery that only Michael Jackson could pull off. “SomeBODy please have mercy!” When he blends with Janet, at times making it hard to tell them apart, it sometimes causes one to miss the definitive and vicious notes he hit. To be fair, Janet delivered unbelievable vocals of her own. Yet, in the final loop, it’s Michael’s vocals that are front and center to deliver the climactic finish to the song. “Stop ya pressure, you’re dirty, you’re dirty, you’re dirty baby!!” It is a disgustingly underrated vocal performance, and sad as it stands among his very best ever. There is no question that Michael Jackson’s voice could convey emotions unbelievably well. It is here that disgust, rage, and fury have never been delivered more flawlessly. Scream remains an underrated piece of the catalog for casual fans whom more specifically remember Michael as a young man, but you can’t forget the man the world turned on.
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