The King and the Prince: Heavy is the Head That Wears the Crown

 

They may have been two polar opposites of the musical coin but Michael Joseph Jackson and Prince Rogers Nelson were really kindred spirits whose lives and careers flowed in similar directions. Breaking free from the static industry grip on Black performers, their artistic liberation was fueled by a strong sense of self and fearless creative vision funded by the deep pockets of their record labels.

Midwestern-born luminaries, they shared concurrent commercial breakthroughs and endured  industry dust-ups in the fight for artistic control. Belief in the Jehovah's Witness faith insulated Jackson from the vices that destroyed many entertainers. It offered Prince spiritual solace and the inspiration to distance himself from his racy younger years. Their dominance seemed destined to go on forever. In time, the pair went from leaders to followers struggling to keep pace with a youth-driven modern music industry they helped birth.

Slight in stature and build, Jackson and Prince possessed the strength and fortitude of men twice their size. They were like battered old athletes---proud warriors shaking off concussions again and again, thrilling fans in packed arenas en route to a championship season. Mentally downloading instant replays of triumphant scenes of their hard-fought field of dreams, It dawned on me that their careers were also occupational hazards that came with a price. 

For Jackson it came early. He never completely recovered from his injuries while filming a Pepsi commercial in '84. Years of performing onstage acrobatic stage moves led to a premature hip replacement for Prince.They attacked the stage with fervor, just like their idol James Brown---another warrior who pushed himself to the brink, defying pain like the laws of gravity. In search of physical relief , Jackson and Prince would turn to addictive prescription medication for relief.

Over the next decade, album releases dates overlapped like clockwork. During the summer of '79 Off the Wall and Prince hit record stores a month apart. In fall '82, 1999 and Thriller repeated the release window. Six months after Thriller's seventh single is released in January of '84, Purple Rain arrived in stores. Sign O' the Times drops in March '87. Bad is released four months after. In October '91 Diamond and Pearls comes out. Dangerous arrives a month later. 

Pushing the envelope with each release, their albums doubled as musical milestones. In '79 they began nudging Black music towards a singular aesthetic package. Poised for superstardom in '82, they help orchestrate the Great Black Pop Takeover. In '87 record releases saw them at the peak of their powers. '91 solidified their staying power in a rapidly changing industry.

 In their final years, both men raced against time trying to punctuate their careers with a one last encore--- a final world tour of fifty grueling dates and a series of intimate serenades with nothing but a piano and microphone. 

One hoped to restore his coffers depleted by lawsuits. legal fees and free spending. The other---worn down from a heavy touring schedule also sought liquidity as well as  preserve his declining health. 

Neither would live to see their plans come to fruition. Jackson and Prince's lives played out like a Greek tragedy. The self-imposed isolation and cagey detachment that sustained them for years became their Achilles heel. In life, they were vigilant protectors of their lucrative music holdings. In death, their estates cut deals with an industry they struggled to liberate themselves from.