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July 27, 2010

Let The Story Begin - FREE Mixtape!



Mr. Tyson - Let The Story Begin
http://www.mediafire.com/?34q68dw2ey39kmq
(click link to download it FREE!)

1. Let The Story Begin
2. Numero Uno
3. Here He Goes
4. Everywhere I Go
5. Kill The Coonery
6. The Map
7. I'm Goin Off
8. See You Sometime (Ode 2 Hip-Hop)
9. Through The Storm
10. Mother Earth

Tracks 5 & 8 produced by Cee Jae Tha King
Track 10 produced by DJ ear.2.ear

May 18, 2010

Mr. Tyson - Mother Earth

Mr. Tyson - Mother Earth
produced by DJ ear.2.ear
Let The Story Begin: Mixtape
© JusListen Entertainment 2010

May 12, 2010

Jean-Michel Basquiat Retrospective Exhibition





From Hypebeast... 2010 marks what would have been the 50th birthday of American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. A large retrospective exhibition held at the Fondation Beyeler features over 100 different pieces of work from the pioneering artist. Vernissage TV reveal the full scope of the show in addition to an interview with Fondation Beyeler’s director and co-curator, Sam Keller. The Jean-Michel Basquiat Retrospective Exhibition will take place until September 5th, 2010.

May 11, 2010

Rise/The Movement Rehearsal

Steve Tyson (vocals), Egemen Sanli (guitar), Kivo Sanli (bass), & Rob Pilkington (drums)

Filmed by Rick Passero at AM Studios, NYC
© JusListen Entertainment. 2010

www.reverbnation.com/JusListenEntertainment
www.reverbnation.com/EgemenSanli

See You Sometime Rehearsal

Steve Tyson (vocals), Egemen Sanli (guitar), Kivo Sanli (bass), & Rob Pilkington (drums)

Filmed by Rick Passero at AM Studios, NYC
© JusListen Entertainment. 2010

www.reverbnation.com/JusListenEntertainment
www.reverbnation.com/EgemenSanli

DJ Premier's Tribute to Keith "Guru" Elam


March 29, 2010

Erykah Badu - Window Seat





This woman is pure genius with her ability to say so much, while saying so little.

'nuff said.

- Steve Tyson Jr.

March 26, 2010

State Of The Planet 2010: Poverty



On March 25, I attended the State of the Planet conference held by The Earth Institute at Columbia University. The forum was a global event, using an HD webcast to connect panel speakers from New York, New Delhi, Beijing, Nairobi, Monaco, London, and Mexico City. I had never been to such a diverse and interesting conference that wasn’t an ethnic event. The speakers included plenty of current and former UN officials, royalty from Monaco and the Netherlands, CEO’s of several major corporations, and a slew of professors and experts from regional universities. Although many issues and topics were discussed, in my opinion the two most pressing and important debates were on reducing climate change and alleviating poverty in Africa using “green” technologies.

The poverty discussion focused primarily on how to achieve the millennium development goals, with a special focus on whether or not “green” technology is the answer for fixing the poverty crisis in Africa. The panel of speakers in NYC consisted of HRH Princess Maxima of the Netherlands, Prof. Glenn Denning & Prof. Upmanu Lall of Columbia University, and Hans Vestberg the President & CEO of Ericsson. They had quite a few points to make, stating:


- Child mortality has gone down by 25% in recent years, but all goals envisioned by the Millennium Project are still far away
- More people are starving now than in 1990, and maternity care is also suffering
- There have been no implementations of the policies put into action in the last 10 years, only rare cases like in Malawi where progress is evident
- Broadband and mobile communication will help to alleviate the problem because it allows communication to areas with resources
- Water shortage is the next big challenge in policy making (ex. India & China are both facing water crises, but no global action is underway)
- There is no place for poor people in poor countries to safely have a savings for their money


Next, our host Riz Khan of Al Jazeera English connected us to the panel of experts in Nairobi, Kenya to gain an African perspective on the problems. We were introduced to Jonathan Ledgard of The Economist. He was moderating the panel which included, Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka of the Republic of Kenya, Achim Steiner of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Sylvia Mwichuli of the UN Millennium Campaign, Michael Joseph the CEO of Safaricom, and Mike Bushell of Syngenta International Research Centre. They noted that:


- Africa is accelerating faster than any other continent, but 30-50% of it’s biology has died in the last 10 years
- Africa’s population is doubling, while industrialization needs to quadruple to meet demand
- Government structures need to include grassroots organizations so the common people will also have a voice in the decision-making
- Equal opportunity needs to be provided, so not just the rich countries will develop new, “green” technologies
- Mobile phones and proper banking are MAJOR needs
- 50% of all hospital beds are filled with people who are sick due to impure water consumption
- In 10 years, Kenya can have a 0% carbon emissions output due to development of “green” technology including solar, wind, & hydro
- All countries and continents should pay for any damage they have done to Africa because of poor environmental standards
- There can be no progress when finances are not getting to the people and there are no policies to include the people either
- The protection of Africa’s natural resources needs to be taken into account when developing “green” technology
- Bank loans will have to have new regulations and adjustments in collateral, that assess the people as a group rather than as individuals


We were then brought back to the panel in NYC, where the debate was concluded with some practical approaches to how African nations can effectively improve their socio-economic conditions, while also setting a new standard for “green” technology.


- Sustainability and telecommunications will thrive, but more international governments and companies need to be invested
- When you boost agricultural productivity, then economy also rises
- The more countries can develop and produce food on their own (instead of waiting for aid), the better their chances are for progress
- Investing in resources with immediate payoff is necessary, instead of constantly focusing on future technology that is not yet feasible
- The people are ready, but where are the resources?


The conversation, in my opinion, was one that could have been better served if members from the climate change panel had also been involved in the discussion. In my opinion, there needed to be more representation from science experts, rather than the majority being from the technological, political, and corporate fields. I feel that although there were many people on this panel who offered insight for all the right reasons, there were some statements made that clearly had corporate interest as a top priority. It’s not that I did not expect this, because obviously corporations will be jockeying for contracts to invest and produce new technology wherever they want. I just hope that the companies who end up doing so are less worried about corporate greed and are more worried about doing something good for the planet and the creatures who inhabit it.

- Steve Tyson Jr.

State Of The Planet 2010: Climate Change



State of the Planet 2010: Climate Change

On March 25, I attended the State of the Planet conference held by The Earth Institute at Columbia University. The forum was a global event, using an HD webcast to connect panel speakers from New York, New Delhi, Beijing, Nairobi, Monaco, London, and Mexico City. I had never been to such a diverse and interesting conference that wasn’t an ethnic event. The speakers included plenty of current and former UN officials, royalty from Monaco and the Netherlands, CEO’s of several major corporations, and a slew of professors and experts from regional universities. Although many issues and topics were discussed, in my opinion the two most pressing and important debates were on reducing climate change and alleviating poverty in Africa using “green” technologies.


The climate change discussion focused primarily on what it would take to complete the deal known as the Copenhagen Accord, which was agreed upon at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. The NYC panel of speakers included Prof. Wallace S. Broecker & Prof. Mark Cane of Columbia University and Johan Rockstrom of the Stockholm Environment Institute. Some of the strongest points made during their discussion were how:


- Nations failed at coming together in a collective effort to curve climate change
- For the first time, climate change has become a more political debate than a scientific one
- Part of our solution needs to be capturing and storing CO2, but governments and commercial industry won’t support it. (Even though it costs mere 10’s of millions)
- A restructuring of the national power grid is necessary
• Stated by Prof. Mark Cane
- There can be no clear agreement without the endorsement of China


Immediately following those statements, the host (Riz Khan of Al-Jazeera English) connected us live to Beijing, China where James Miles of The Economist was moderating the Chinese panel. Jiang Kejun of the Energy Research Institute, Prof. Qi Ye of Tsinghua University, Xiao Geng of the Brookings Institution, and Prof. Xu Jintao of Peking University were in attendance. They had quite a lot to say about China’s influence on the rest of the world when it comes to climate change, including how:


- China had no carbon emissions problems until 200 years ago
- China will NOT peak before the United States in carbon emissions
- There is a 5-year target for making concrete policies that will help reduce the amount of carbon emissions in China by 40% in 2025
- The G-20 summit may be a better forum for international climate change discussion, rather than the UN
- There is a major need for civil action by the Chinese public for policy change to happen quicker
- NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) are doing the best in educating the public
- Current form of democracy is not effective, there needs to be a new global structure instead
- Global communication is a must, and they are glad to see President Barack Obama doing a lot to encourage this


Heading back to NYC, the experts were able to offer some quick assessments and rebuttals to the points made by the Chinese. They added:


- The rest of the world will not take action, unless the United States does first
o But Prof. Wallace S. Broecker rebutted and said since “China is going to lead the world in the future anyway, they should go first”
- The population growth of the United States is also a major problem in increasing our carbon emissions
- European Union should also show leadership and strive more more than a 30% reduction in emissions
• Stated by Johan Rockstrom


Riz Khan then turned back to the screen and introduced the panel from New Delhi, India. Simon Cox of The Economist was moderating a panel which included Nitin Desai the former UN Secretary-General of Economic & Social Affairs, Devin Narang of the Freeplay Group, Jyoti Parikh of Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe), Jagbir Singh who is CTO of Bhari Airtel Mobility Networks, and Leena Srivastava of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). These panelists seemed to have a more practical view of what the problems are that prevent the eradication of negative climate change. Some of their points were:


- There is a crisis of trust in both the scientific field and within the UN
- Technology needs to be developed locally and cost effectively for these solutions to work (ex. India & Africa can’t afford United States’ technology) • Stated by Devin Narang
- National governments need to impose mandates in their own countries, instead of focusing on international reguation • Stated by Nitin Desai
- We need a mandatory base year to set an international standard, because many countries have gotten a free ride in not paying any regulation standards fees (ex. United States has added more than 1 billion lbs. of carbon into the atmosphere since 1990) • Stated by Jyoti Parikh
- Developing countries like India, collectively, will be responsible for 20% of all carbon emissions in the near future
- India and China are working closely together, since there are many of the same environmental problems effecting both countries
- Solar and wind technologies are viable options, now that new regulations have recently been put into effect. There is a HUGE market since there is significant amounts of sunlight in India


After thanking the panel and moderator in New Delhi, Riz Khan brought the discussion back to NYC in order to get some final statements from our panel. They concluded:


- Africa could be the most sustainable continent on the planet in the future, but costs and development need to be better managed in order for this to happen
- New technology will bring new problems, but as long as they are better than the old problems then we’ve made progress • Stated by Prof. Mark Cane
- Alternate energy is key. Costs need to be brought down in producing solar energy, since it’s the easiest to harness
- Nuclear energy will see a resurgence in the United States, but we need hundreds of new power plants and we haven’t built one new one yet
- Scientific experts should no longer pitch the problems to the public, because no one cares to listen. Instead, more marketing experts need to be involved since it only takes tragedies for people to notice any problems.
- Social media (internet) will be more powerful than current media (TV, radio) in it’s effectiveness to spread the message
- It is surprising that many faith communities are not voicing an opinion loud enough. Seeing as people are destroying “God’s creation”


Wrapping up the discussion on climate change was HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco. He was broadcast live to speak on the viability of the development and production of electric vehicles in Monaco. Prince Albert II assured the global community that a major shift is underway in his country and if Monaco could do it then major countries should also follow suit.
The entire discussion was a fascinating back and forth between so many influential people in the political, scientific, and technological fields. I feel that after hearing such a lively and comprehensive discussion, many of the people in the audience felt quite reassured that although there are severe problems facing our environment, we are on the right track to save the state of our planet. Things just need to happen faster and the people at the forefront of the debate are all for encouraging this.

- Steve Tyson Jr.

March 17, 2010

iTunes Exclusive: Mr. Tyson - The Virtuous Lyricist

Purchase your copy of Mr. Tyson's debut album "The Virtuous Lyricist" TODAY! Exclusive and only on iTunes, Amazon, Amazon mp3, and SongCast!




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Tracklist:
1. Very Interesting Reality Through Unique Experiences
2. Rise: That 9 Ether
3. The Movement
4. Mind Elevation (feat. T.R.E.)
5. Makin' Moves (feat. T.R.E.)
6. Where Do We Go?
7. To The Left...
8. Illumination In 4D
9. The Reflection
10. Mind Made Up



Parental Advisory Exquisite and Explicit Lyrics

Executive Producer: Steve Tyson
All Tracks (except #10 and Bonus) produced by: DJ ear.2.ear
Track #10 produced by: Brian "Doc" Robinson




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Don't hesitate! Get your copy TODAY!

March 12, 2010

Ivory Wars In 2010?!

The African elephant population faces a serious threat to their numbers, as Tanzania and Zambia are petitioning to lift bans that prevent the poaching and sale of ivory. Since 1989, countries at the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) voted to ban all sale of ivory, due to the massive slaughter of African elephants. In the 1980's, there were between 700,000 and 1,000,000 elephants killed for their tusks.



In 1997, pro-ivory trade groups forced countries to approve a decision in CITES that allowed a one-time exception to the ban on sales of stockpiled ivory. They claimed that the one-time sale would reduce the amount of demand for ivory, predominantly the demand coming from Asia. However, the sales experiment didn't work. From 1997 to 2007, due to the stockpile sales of ivory, poaching and seizures of illegal ivory began to rise. In Tanzania alone, the percentage of elephant mortality attributed to poaching rose from 22% in 2003 to 62% in 2009.

The fact that CITES can entertain lifting the ban of ivory poaching an absolute outrage! Over the past 30 years African elephants have declined to about 35% of their original numbers, and the population today is less than 500,000. To think that there would be a benefit to slaughtering innocent animals for immoral profit is an absolute joke. I can only pray that this ban doesn't get lifted, and we as a people will continue to do what we can to spread awareness and justice.

But that's just Tyson's Take.... what do you think?

- Steve Tyson Jr.

[for the entire article from "TIME Magazine" click here]

February 24, 2010

Fonzworth Outdoes Obama With "Fireside Chat"



Now I bet you were like me and thought that President Obama was the only one who could deliver one of those ol' fireside chats. Well, believe it or not Fonzworth Bentley has written his own "Fireside Chat" and let me tell you he really goes in on this one. I was surprised that this was Diddy's former "man-servant" delivering such poignant lyrics in this creative of a manner, but that definitely shows the lack of promotion that a lot of lyrical MC's are getting right now... I wonder if this song will make his album, I mean the brotha IS signed with Kanye on G.O.O.D. Music.

Check it out...



As always, let the world know what you think by dropping a comment!

- Steve Tyson

KRS-One Sets The Record Straight!



KRS-One was in San Antonio, TX performing and towards the end of his set he started touching on a broad variety of topics that were on his mind. The biggest point he made was in reference to the Illuminati and how people continually perpetuate the thought that either him or Jay-Z is involved with them. Not only do people make these accusations, but then they say they have "Facts" to back it up... now check out what KRS had to say on the subject.





"YOU-MUST-LEARN!" lol

But for real though... he made some good points, and we all need to take a step back and assess what is really plausible, logical, and even capable of happening before we rush to judgement on others.


- Steve Tyson

December 29, 2009

Spike Lee On Hollywood's "Coonery & Buffoonery"


At the 2009 Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Conference & Expo, one of the featured speakers was Spike Lee. During his segment, he was asked about the representation of black culture in TV and film. His example of our need for an improved representation was Tyler Perry's "House of Pain" and "Meet The Browns". He claims that even though it is generating a lot of revenue, it is taking us back to the minstrel days of Mantan Moreland and Sleep 'N Eat. Watch a segment of the interview and comment with your opinion.



If you want Tyson's Take on the matter, I feel that Spike makes a very valid point. We have to create more accurate representations of our entire culture or much of our history may be washed away by shuckin' & jivin'. With that being said, I also feel that Tyler Perry should not change his format or characters. Madea, Mr. Brown, and the rest of his lively characters always have a moral or positive religious undertone in each movie and story. I feel it should be less about getting someone to stop doing what he's doing, and it should be more about cultivating NEW black filmmakers to offer other representations of who we are.

- Steve Tyson Jr.

December 15, 2009

2010 Nobel Peace Prize Afterparty


You knew when we finally got a black president things would be different around here. But at the Nobel Peace Prize after party, "change" was the name of the game. Will Smith and Wyclef Jean rocked the mic during the party and jam session that followed the formal ceremony and they were accompanied by Natasha Bedingfield and Toby Keith. I'm glad to see the core elements of Hip-Hop thriving in an environment where typically you'd have waltzes and bowties.

PS: Check out the whole video and you'll even get to see Toby Keith spittin' "Rapper's Delight" with the Fresh Prince, plus Wyclef & Natasha Bedingfield performing The Fugees' hit song "Ready or Not"!



- Steve Tyson

December 04, 2009

Stevie Wonder & John Legend Pay Tribute To MJ




At the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary ceremony, inductee Stevie Wonder was accompanied by John Legend for a lively rendition of Michael Jackson's hit single "The Way You Make Me Feel". Halfway through the performance, Stevie got emotional and shed tears for the fallen King of Pop. A truly touching performance, I'm sure Mr. Wonder gave it as much as he could in order to finish. Check it out below.



- Steve Tyson Jr.

November 20, 2009

KRS-One Urges For A Jay-Z vs. 50 Cent Battle!



Yo... now THIS is an ill idea. Get the two biggest MC's in the game to battle it out for supremacy of New York! KRS has the idea that if they engage in a Hip-Hop battle it would benefit the entire culture of Hip-Hop. Plus, he feels that money could be raised to help combat many of the ills in the world (including breast cancer, poverty, etc.)

I think Hip-Hop culture NEEDS this battle to happen. For so many years MC's have talked a lot of shit about PPV battles and tournaments, but nothing has ever materialized. I know that if this happens and independent MC's are allowed to try out for the undercard battles, I'm definitely signing up!

- Steve Tyson

October 29, 2009

BET Freestyle Cypher '09



I've always been a fan of the Hip-Hop cypher, and when BET compiles some of the illest MC's in the game to get together and represent for the culture you KNOW it's gotta be good. Check out this year's freestyles below!


Mos Def, Black Thought, & Eminem demolish the classic beat spun by DJ Premier!



Nikki Minaj, Buckshot, Joe Budden & Crown Royyal go off in this cypher too!

September 24, 2009

Ridiculous: The Tea Party Protest in D.C. 9/12



In all my life I've never seen such a large group of uninformed, unintelligent, and completely ignorant people all together in one place. Now obviously everybody there wasn't as extreme as everyone shown in the video, but there is a HUGE difference between voicing an informed opinion and spouting some bullshit rhetoric that you saw on TV. I am glad to say though, beyond all of this propaganda-driven lunacy, there are millions of people who are actively making progressive changes in this country. It's just messed up that there are many more millions of Americans who disagree with what these people are saying but remain stuck on the couch screaming at the TV or just "beat a dead horse" while debating with peers, instead of actually going out and making a difference too.

- Steve Tyson Jr.

September 20, 2009

Lyrical God - Ammunition (With 2 Pens & A Table!)



Dude is a beast on this track "Ammunition"! His name Lyrical God is for certain, but what trumps the flow is his ability to bang out a heavy beat with just two pens on a wood table. It's pretty coincidental how the heavy snare pen is reminiscent of the clap of a gun too. Gotta give him his props... and it's good to see the pulse of Hip-Hop still beating strong.

- Steve Tyson Jr.

Loon Discusses His Conversion To Islam!



Loon (now Amir Junaid Muhadith), formerly of Bad Boy Entertainment, sits down with The Deen Show in Dubai, UAE to discuss his conversion to the Islamic faith and how it has given his life peace & inspired a new musical creativity. Check out the full 28 minute interview and drop a comment! Do you think there will be more MC's who are unafraid to throw away stereotypical imagery of a "rapper" and follow their own journey to create the true music that they want to make?

- Steve Tyson Jr.

July 18, 2009

July 10, 2009

Even The Greatest Learned From The Greatest



Ever since the beautiful memorial service was held for Michael Jackson, I’ve found myself consistently looking for videos and interviews to gain a broader understanding of who MJ was as a person and how he crafted himself to become the greatest entertainer ever. Now I already knew like many of you that Gene Kelly, James Brown, and Fred Astaire were MAJOR influences on Michael. Check out a classic Fred Astaire movie “The Band Wagon” and you'll see how MJ borrowed Astaire’s “The Girl Hunt” sequence to create the videos for “Billie Jean”, “Smooth Criminal”, “Bad”, “You Rock My Word” and the narrative portion of the song “Dangerous”.

What I didn’t know, was how much of an influence legendary choreographer Bob Fosse was on Michael Jackson. A friend of mine told me about the striking similarities between what Fosse did and Michael’s stage performance, so I had to see for myself. After doing a little research what I noticed was amazing. There are many Fosse clips that show MJ similarities but the coolest one had to have been “The Snake In The Grass” slip from the movie “The Little Prince” (which MJ was a HUGE fan of!). Notice his highwater black pants, white spats accentuating the shoes, angular leg movements, and fluidity of motion that Michael incorporated into his own dancing. It’s sensational!



These are just some of many videos that you can look up and see the influence they’ve had on the performances of Michael Jackson. I hope this is was just as enjoyable for you as it was for me, and I know all of these performers will continue to be inspirations for generations of entertainers to come!

- Steve Tyson Jr.

PS: Here's a little something to enjoy!

July 02, 2009

Michael Jackson Is Now Immortal



The King of Pop is doing the Moonwalk with the King of Kings.
It’s taken me a week to really put things into enough perspective to write my first thoughts on the death of Michael Joseph Jackson.

Only know, wherever I go/
we’re as close as two friends can be
There have been others/
but never two lovers
Like music, music and me

- Music and Me

For myself, listening to Michael started in the womb. My father would put headphones over my mother’s stomach bumping a variety of music including two of his favorite albums, “Off The Wall” and “Thriller”. He told me I used to kick back in response to Michael and Quincy Jones’ rhythms. As a kid, the “Thriller” dance was also the first time I remember trying to really memorize an entire dance, but that was only after the werewolf part of the movie scared the living piss out of me.

You can shout out all you want to/
cause there ain’t no sin in folks all getting loud
If you take a chance and do it/
There ain’t no one who’s gonna put you down

- Off The Wall

I remember holding the vinyl of “Bad” on the living room floor and studying every buckle on the cover while blaring the masterpiece that MJ, Quincy, and synthesizer guru Greg Phillinganes crafted through the same speakers I currently bump my own music through (yes the same speakers, crystal sound, 20+ years later). When CD players were invented and my family finally got one, the first CD I ever owned was “Dangerous”. I traded my father a Bruce Springsteen CD I won at school, for the fresh copy of “Dangerous” he had brought home that same day. Out of all the music I’d listened to during those elementary-middle school years, this is easily the album that got the most rotation.

We’re sendin’ out a major love/
and this is our message to you
The planets are linin’ up/
we’re bringin’ brighter days
They’re all in line waitin’ for you/
Can’t you see
?”
- Another Part Of Me

Fast forward past the devilish people who tried to ruin his life through false allegations and lies, to “HIStory: Past, Present, and Future – Book 1”. When listening to this album it was clear that a man who grew up as an idol to America, ended up feeling disgraced and betrayed by a media who tried to ruin him and a culture who bought into a ton of false gossip. But in the midst of the many pain-scarred songs on the album were gems of beauty like “You Are Not Alone” that you can clearly envision the young, Afro’d out Michael singing his heart out on.

It’s slander! You say it’s not a sword/
but with your pen you torture men
You’d crucify the Lord
…So why do we keep fooling ourselves
?”
- Tabloid Junkie

I’d say his personal bottom is evident in the symbolic title of his remix album “Blood On The Dancefloor” and in it’s song “Morphine”. In the track, MJ is clearly venting his deepest, darkest thoughts in an almost free-associative coded manner, while clutching onto the pain convincing Lisa Marie that he’s kicked the drug habit (read her blog post here). Hell, he even drops a line about it being “always to please Daddy”… whew… this brother was really going through it during the mid-90’s. And after kicking the habit, then shaking off the negative aura surrounding the first round of allegations and going toe-to-toe with Sony Music, he came back proving to the world that he’s “Invincible”.

Now I’m just wondering why you think/
that you can get to me with anything
Seems like you’d know by now/
when and how I get down
And will all that I’ve been through, I’m still around

- Unbreakable

Even after the wave of Roc-A-Fella and Ruff Ryders establishing themselves as the new major movements in music, it was "Invincible" that was the album I was most excited for. The day it came out I got the silver covered version and my Dad got the orange one. I was so psyched for this album if you had told me it would be his last solo LP I may have fallen off the deep end. Rodney Jerkins and Michael’s production was and still is ahead of it’s time, although you can finally hear today’s music catching up to that sound with releases like the newest Black Eyed Peas joint (Will.I.Am was also working with MJ on new material, so you know ideas were definitely exchanged). And now there will have to be new generations of musicians and artists to take their craft to new heights just as Michael did.

You can change the world/
I can’t do it by myself
You can touch the sky /
gonna take somebody’s help
You’re the chosen one/
I’m gonna need some kind of sign
If we all cry at the same time tonight

- Cry

It’s as though his presence here was a test for himself and for the rest of us. Here’s a child who was born into the spotlight. He had our entire country focused on his every footstep with people hounding him around every corner, not understanding why every single person he ever met obsessed over him in an almost deranged yet loving manner. I mean wouldn’t that make you afraid at times as a child? Then he grew into a man trying to shake those childish fears but instead of being scared, he was going to scare YOU. (Hence, the underlying concept of "Thriller")

Well they say the sky’s the limit/
and to me that’s really true
But my friend you have seen nothin’/
just wait ‘til I get through

- Bad

Unfortunately, due to his vitiligo and increasingly private lifestyle he really did begin to scare a lot of us. Newspapers and tabloids began reporting a mass of lies just to sell copies. People began concocting elaborate plans to ruin his career by saying he corrupted the only kinds of people he unconditionally loved on this planet... children. He even got us taking a harder look at the pointlessness of race, once his skin disease fully consumed his body we had white-looking Black American telling us it doesn’t matter what our color is in order for us to love one another. No one knew better, that’s for sure.

There’s a place in your heart/
and I know that it is Love
And this place could be/
Much brighter than tomorrow

- Heal The World

And now he’s gone. Leaving us his messages through song. The crazy part about it is that this is only going to make more people listen to his music, and if we actually start to heed his message and truths this world could really be a better place for you and for me.

Your presence here gave a spark within us all, and because of that you are now immortal. Thank you for 50 years of magic and I will continue to love you Michael, just as we all will.

- Steve Tyson Jr.