Remember the time.

What makes you feel nostalgic?

A long time ago back in 2009 I was on a Michael Jackson binge. Every day I was listening to a new Michael Jackson album. I went back and forth from Dangerous to Bad then all the way back to Thriller. It was a special time in my life too being in highschool and all.

During the summer of 2009 Michael passed away and it was the wildest thing in the world at that time. It felt like something was ripped away from me. How I heard about his death was even more insane because it was inside of a computer store out on the Hurstbourne (Louisville, KY). “Oh man Michael Jackson just died” yelled out the geek from the back of the store. My father’s response was “What? Really?” I couldn’t believe it myself but I was also a young kid at the time and at first it didn’t phase me until the news spread like wildfire. Mind you, this was 2009 and touch screen smartphones only had been out for 2 years or so. News spread pretty quick as it was everywhere from iPhone 3Gs, Blackberries, CNN, and of course the front page of Yahoo.

This was a pivotal moment in my life because prior to all of this I spent so much time in my room in the same exact spot that I am writing this blogpost, just listening to Michael. I had a portable CD player that I got for Christmas one year and I was just jamming to his music on there. I was mainly listening and reading the CD pamphlet so I can memorize the lyrics and sing the songs later to myself. This was a little before I got my first MP3 player which I think was Christmas of that same year.

I still remember the day after his death, I would walk outside and the ENTIRE neighborhood was listening to Michael Jackson. You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing one of his songs. From television to radio, Michael Jackson was on air 24/7. I still have his US Today edition Newspaper in my possession .

One particular song that stands out to me is Remember The Time. Back when Cj used to live next door a friend or relative of his stopped by and they had that song turned up to the max thumping the side panels of the Escalade they were riding in. When I hear that song today it brings me back to those days when I was a high schooler on summer vacation browsing trying to find a wifi connection of my Nintendo DS.

This random memory of mine brings a certain nostalgia that I love to resonate in from time to time. I can cut on any Michael Jackson song right now and it’ll bring me back to that summer of joy and tragedy. Not only can Michael Jacksons music do that but so can many other artist that I listened to from 2008 to 2012. Artist such as T.I., lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Jeezy, Danny Brown, B.o.B, and The Isley Brothers. Music is the soundtrack to my life and can always create nostalgic moments that remind me that I’m human. As a I get older the nostalgic feelings I get occur more often as I yearn for when times were much simpler. I guess life is getting harder huh?

~ keep it all smiles