This poem comes from our friend Paradise. A few years ago a few of yall will recall that Paradise was named as Soul-Patrol’s Jazz Artist of the year…
——

THEY JUST BEAT HIM!

by Paradise

They just beat him
Just yesterday
They Finally beat him
Beat him to death
Beat all the black off of him
Beat all the naps off of him
Beat all the song
And the dance
And the music out of him
Beat him like a pinata
Until they knocked
All the goodies out of him
Beat the Soul out of him
Like Rodney King
They just beat him
And beat him and beat him
For 50 years
This world beat him
Made fun of him
And made him their whipping boy
For making great music
For giving us a Thriller of a life
A Thriller of a time
For leaving behind an incredible
Legacy of music and love
And not a single curse word
On any of his songs
Nothing but great art
For the world to cherish forevermore
The number one selling album of all time
On planet Earth
And for this they beat him
Like Emmitt Till and Jesus
They just beat him, beat him
Put him on a cross and beat him
Another messiah bites the dust
For having a beautiful soul
For being too beautiful for this world
For trying to heal the world
And bring salvation back
And bring us together
A humanitarian, a vegetarian
Because he loved animals
Wouldn’t harm a flea
He loved us all
It didn’t matter
Whether you’re black or white
But whites and blacks
Just beat him
Assassinated his character
Blasphemed his name
Held him up against The Wall
And threw rocks at him
Stoned him to death
For trying to Rock With You
For singing about Butterflies
For being a Dancing Machine
They pulled him over
And gave him a ticket
For Moonwalking While Black
For having a Moonwalk
more shocking than NASAs
For being one Giant Step for mankind
They finally popped the King of Pop
And sent him back to Neverneverland
With Peter Pan
And all the other mythical
Mystical, magical creatures
He gave us
Billie Jean, The Love You Save
Never Can Say Goodbye & I’ll Be There
And we gave him creature features
We are the World
And we just beat him
Pulverized him into submission
Teased him to death
The world finally beat Michael Jackson
He’s Out of Our Lives
Are you happy now
Beat him off the planet
Beat all the ebony and ivory off of him
And yet he continues to stand
And he will forevermore be The Man
With the velvet touch
And the Sequined Gloved Hand
Michael Jackson
Invincible
Heeee hee!

(c) 6/26/09 6:30am by Paradise

The “King of Pop” performed at the world-famous Apollo several times in his career – first, in 1969 when he was just a young boy, and, most recently, in 2002 at the invitation of former President Bill Clinton at a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee.

On Tuesday, June 30, 2009, the Apollo will welcome the public into the Theater to pay tribute to Mr. Jackson, hear his music, and see video tributes to the late pop star. Apollo President and CEO Jonelle Procope, the Reverend Al Sharpton, and others will offer eulogies under the Apollo marquee at 2:00p.m. On Wednesday, July 1, 2009, the Apollo will dedicate its weekly Amateur Night show to Mr. Jackson with special performances and dance features such as a moon walking contest. Further, the Apollo has erected a signature wall outside the Theater where mourners can write condolences and leave remembrances. The Theater also has plans to do a star-studded tribute to Mr. Jackson later in the month of July.

“Michael first performed at the Apollo in the late 1960s with his brothers and won Amateur Night, which catapulted their career as the Jackson 5. We will always remember Michael in our hearts as part of the Apollo’s family of artists and a true Apollo legend. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. He will be deeply missed,” said Jonelle Procope, president and CEO of the Apollo Theater Foundation. “From the moment the news of his passing was made public, fans began gathering at the Apollo to pay their respects and celebrate Michael’s life. We at the Apollo thought it was important to put these events together to give Michael’s fans the chance to remember him as the consummate entertainer that he was.”

Statement to the Press , Tuesday, June 30, 2009, Starting at 2:00p.m. Jonelle Procope, President & CEO of the Apollo Theater Foundation, will speak to the press and will be joined by the Reverend Al Sharpton to eulogize the late icon.

I was just interviewed and asked to give my reflections on Michael
Jackson.

Here is what I said, I don’t know if this is how they will run it . . .

“Michael Jackson was a cultural icon that surpassed all others that you might be tempted to compare him to. Unlike others such as Elvis, the Beatles or others, the legacy created by the Jackson’s was
TOTALLY ORIGINAL.

The Jackson’s created something out of nothing and Michael
Jackson was the star of that something. Although that might be
considered to be an amazing thing, Black Americans have been creating something out of nothing since the beginning of time!

Michael Jackson became the most famous person on the face of the earth because of his role in creating something that ultimately he found a way to eclipse. So in effect he first created a star for his family and then created an even bigger star for himself.

I don’t think that anyone else has come close to accomplishing that!”

http://www.soul-patrol.net/j5_live.ram

It’s a great live recording, made in 1973 and then followed by
Soul-Patrol’s 1 hour long “Jackson Five Sampler”…

http://www.soul-patrol.net/j5_live.ram

Just let it play in the backround for a couple of hours.
You won’t regret it…

1. Starfleet‘s charts for 6/16-30/09

Top-50 Crossover Chart 6/16-30/09

Top-50 Urban/Hip Hop Chart 6/16-30/09

Top-50 Dance Chart 6/16-30/09

Top-40 Indie Urban/Street/Latin Chart 6/16-30/09

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