NWSF Bullet: Merchandising Michael

I will be the first to admit that I like Michael Jackson's music. I've been a fan since the "I Want You Back" days.

However, I have mixed feelings about the new movie coming out tomorrow. I'm not sure that it is an honest attempt to pay tribute to one of the world's greatest entertainers or just a scam for greedy media moguls to recoup some of the money that they lost when Jackson died.

Also, there is the issue of the hypocrisy that folks like Rev. Al Sharpton brought up after The King of Pop's death. Rev. was right, many of the same people who were boo hooin' last July, were hatin' on him the day before he died.

I remember the video channels playing "They Don't Really Care About Us," Jackson's most political song. The same stations probably hadn't played the song since some people criticized the lyrics as "anti-semitic."

A lot of folks hated Jackson's political side that began to surface after the accusations of his having improper relations with children.

Now I wasn't really feelin' all the damage control when he was on the tube talkin' about how proud he was to be a "black African American."

(I wasn't with the OJ Simpson attempt to prove that he was "down with the brothas, either)

But when MJ started calling out the big shots who control the music industry, I was impressed!

What is sad is that the movie will probably make millions more than his come back attempt would have made. To most folks, Mike was a 50 year old has been.


It could be argued that Tupac Shakur would have long been replaced by the Lil Wayne's of the world if he hadn't been killed.

Americans seem to really dig posthumous music.

I guess Notorious BIG was right.

"You're nobody till somebody kills you."