Tribute to Michael Jackson – Ted

Thank you Michael, you were a big part of my childhood may you rest in peace.

Continued by Philip:
Thought I’d include the “behind the scenes”of how that song and music video came about over a yr and a half ago, when the King of Pop was still with us. Taken from FarEast Movement’s blog…

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I’ve heard tracks where a line or 2 in a song dissed him and portrayed him negatively but i never fed into that. One day we were all on a roadtrip from a show we did at the Sundance Film Festival and stopped at a store to buy some cds for the trip… i ended up buying the gold cover re-release of the THRILLER ALBUM since i wanted some classic-all-time-hit inspiration and no one has more hits than MJ.

 

Pressed play.. and hit after hit, we was jammin in that car like we was in a karaoke studio haha… Right when the song “Thriller” came on i said to the fellas… “wouldn’t it be crazy if we did a song for fun about Michael Jackson.. but not the Mike you see on tv lately.. the good ol Mike that we grew up to… that THRILLER MIKE.” Everyone was down so a few weeks later we got in the studio and made a fun beat off the bass line from Thriller… and we all started remembering the good ol mj.

i remember i wrote my verse from the perspective of the way i felt when i used to listen to classic Michael Jackson cuts..

“Feel the beat in your stomach, put on a glove and love it
feel the the bass, intro outer space, moonwalk all over ya face
im priceless, my identity crisis, you dance? i dance the whitest
i got the moves to thrill ya, looks to kill ya, straight up like tequila”

and Prohgress and J-Splif wrote some sick verses using some of MJ’s hits…

“Deep breath and I’m ready for action, Dance Like Michael Jackson…
I Don’t Stop, cuz I’m the King Of Pop, spin around and i grab my crotch
Just move to the rhythm, I’m looking at the Man In The Mirror
and he’s looking right back, i got one thing to ask… Who’s Bad?
You can’t do it like me, break it down to the ABC’S
Bad to the bone, grab the phone, I’m a Smooth Criminal, You Are Not Alone.
It don’t matter if your Black Or White,
Everybody get down when I’m on the mic, and the party Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough
Cuz the FAR EAST MOVEMENT is DANGEROUS“

It was probably the funnest and goofiest concept we could ever imagine… but MJ was THAT dope to us, so we hooked up with Quest Crew (winners of America’s Best Dance Crew) and Wong Fu Productions andShuttershades and came up with a viral project for the web called DANCE LIKE MICHAEL JACKSON.

Its a true example of how real and crazy MJ’s influence was on people of all ages, all colors, all demographics… and you can hate on what you see in the news.. but you can’t hate on the music

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I didn’t say much yesterday because I was just so in shock, and it seemed like everyone else in the world had already said everything that need to be said. I guess it was my moment of silence. It was crazy to see how EVERYONE felt something. It’s so rare that, almost everyone can share the same sentiment in someone’s death at the same time. Maybe the fact that he was still young, or the fact that his music impacted everyone’s life someway…it was just shocking, and sad.

I was a bit too young when he was in his prime in the 80s and early 90s to fully appreciate his music. But as I grew up, I remember learning “Heal the World” in elementary school choir.  For whatever reason I emulated his crotch grab as a kid. Middle school I along with all the kids were trying to learn the moonwalk. In high school he made his comeback w/ “Butterly”  and “You Rock My World“. I did so many dances to sooooo many of his songs throughout high school and college (Smooth Criminal, PYT, Beat It..) anyone else on a dance team probably did too. His music always brought everyone together at parties and shows, no one could hate on his music. It just made you… feel good. For the youngsters, most of the good music these days, are samples of his. haha. All the media stuff later on, I didn’t really care to acknowledge…as David Choi said. 

I could go on, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Just click all those links above and listen to his music, watch the videos, and enjoy all that he’s left behind for us. Thanks MJ. damn

ps… pop music videos these days suck. Where are all the big dance numbers like there used to be?? We gotsta bring that back!