Scorpeze, Matthew Allen, Nicole Starling, and Rochelle Jones join host Shawn Shackelford for a roundtable discussion of the ‘Michael’ biopic as viewed through the Black cultural perspective, sparked by the film’s major success and the return of global Michaelmania. The panel explores Michael Jackson’s legacy through race, media, celebrity, and cultural memory, tracing his journey from the Jackson 5 and the Chitlin’ Circuit to Off the Wall, Thriller, and worldwide superstardom. They also examine shifting media narratives, from tabloid culture and public scrutiny to modern reassessments, while reflecting on James Baldwin’s enduring observations about Michael, America, and Black cultural identity. Together, the conversation blends personal insight and cultural analysis to reconsider Michael Jackson’s lasting impact and evolving legacy.

This episode was edited by Simon Wilkie.

Participants
• Shawn Shackelford
• Scorpeze
• Nicole Starling
• Matthew Allen
• Rochelle Jones

Additional Links
• Here Be Dragons: James Baldwin’s Critique of the American Ideal of Manhood
• “Remember the Time”: Michael Jackson and the Chitlin’ Circuit by Mark Anthony Neal
• Michael Jackson and Prince appearance at James Brown 1983
• Truth and Soul Podcast Ep.3 “Beige Music”
• Truth and Soul Podcast Ep.4 “Beige Music-The Finale”

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