I recently decided to watch a clip of his performance at the BET Awards giving tribute to the singer. I thought it was nice. He couldn't do the moonwalk, or sing as good as Michael, but I thought the effort was what matter. This was alot better a tribute than the mess that was handed down during last year's awards show.
The thing that set off the most discussion on the social networking sites, Twitter especially, was at the very end of the clip where Chris Brown cries as he tries to sing "Man In The Mirror". Immediately after his performance ended, a certain faction of the viewers took to the Internet to question whether the tear drops from Chris were sincere or purely an act. I didn't respond to most of them.
There is alot of disbelief that Michael Jackson is dead. Although the media can casually give a damn and then forget it ever happened, people who listened to his music for years are still feeling the loss. Surrounded in my own sorrow about my life, I kinda forgot Michael Jackson was still around.
In his death, I remembered the music; not the drama that eclipsed his special talent.
Say what you want about the man; he made some damn good music. Chris Brown's entire performance spoke alot about the state of black music these days. Most of the artists who are out now do not dance. If we do, the moves are hardly interesting and seem totally meant for the purpose of showing-off.
When Chris performed some of Michael's greatest hits and dances, he was giving a tribute to a time when music moved your feet. Even some of the slower songs of Mike's catalog would make you wanna get up and dance. Most songs, especially in urban don't have that. If they do, they don't have the Michael touch.
In regards to why Chris Brown cried, consider that his actions of late haven't been the best. "Man In The Mirror" was a song about fixing the self in the name of a better world as the lyrics themselves point out:
I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change
This is what Chris Brown was crying about. The fact that in order for his life to get back to some kind of order, for his music career to become successful again, he had to fix himself first. If people on Twitter, Facebook and the general blogging community didn't see that, then they were never really listened to Michael's music for an understanding.
Really, when was the last time you listened to a song and actually understood it to the point where it emotionally changed you?
Really, I'd like to know that.
Let Chris Brown live. He's paid the price of his actions against Rihanna, let's allow him to make money and survive like all of us should be able to. To constantly burn a whole in his draws because of his poor choices is a sign that we really don't give two damns about the oil spill, the economy or our failing school system. I suppose all of our lives, mine especially, are lived in quiet desperation.
If that is the case, the attitude towards Brown is a telling sign of the rather dull lives we lead.
Filed under: Commentary, Music
Tags: chris brown, facebook, internet, man in the mirror, michael jackson, rihanna, twitter
