When a star musician is accused of a crime, how much does it really matter?
This time, maybe a whole lot.
Tomorrow, Michael Jackson will appear before a Santa Barbara County court to be arraigned on seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent to assist in the crime--an event that may move us into uncharted territory. Jackson's arraignment could be viewed as the beginning of the next chapter in a series of high-profile pop star cases where public opinion finally sides with the D.A.
Jackson is certainly not the first musician to be accused of illegal activity, yet he has little in common with artists like Scott Weiland, Courtney Love, Eminem and a litany of rap stars perhaps as well known for footage of them being taken into court as they are for their music videos. Those artists walked away from their courtdates with their images relatively unscathed--perhaps even enhanced. Instead, like Puff Daddy and R. Kelly before him, Jackson is faced with relatively shocking accusations of disturbing behavior that should destroy his career and reputation forever.
That's what the public thought would happen to P. Diddy, back when he was still Puff Daddy, and a tumultuous night at Club New York at the end of 1999 ultimately landed both him and up-and-coming rapper Shyne in court for weapons possession, bribery and, in Shyne's case, attempted murder. From the beginning, Diddy did what any good defendant, celebrity or otherwise should do; he denied everything, asserting that the accusers were motivated by money and jealousy. Not surprisingly, Michael Jackson has taken the same approach, insisting the lawsuit against him is part of an effort to undermine his success.
R. Kelly, who is still facing child pornography charges with a trial date yet to be determined, has also denied any wrongdoing in his case and is closing in on Jackson in the bizarre statements category, suggesting that he might not be the man on a sex tape at the center of his scandal. Similar to Jackson, Kelly has been previously accused of similar crimes, settling various civil suits from underage women. Most surprisingly though, with court dates still pending, R. Kelly has been able to effectively erase his case from the public's memory, bouncing back with some of the most well received music of his career. Puffy has done the same. Acquitted of all charges against him in 2001, Combs changed his name to P. Diddy and went back to producing. Now, he's back on top, having produced several successful albums over the past year, and gaining attention for running at the sound of a gun shot in the New York City marathon rather than for having a gun himself.
This is perhaps the most crucial distinction between Jackson's case and those of his rap and R & B predecessors in court. R., P. and other pithy-named celebrity defendants have their, well, careers, to fall back on--their other talents for which they have received acclaim. After all, even though R. Kelly retreated to the recording studio to work on a new album, part of his current success comes from writing tracks for other artists, a task for which he was sought out. Jackson has not had a hit since the mid-nineties, unless you count the slight success of his "You Rock My World" single off 2001's Invincible. He's instead known for his bizarre antics such as last year's baby-dangling incident and his ever-changing appearance. In fact, one might say that he's built a career out of them. If Jackson's found guilty, he could face up to 21 years in prison. But if he's found not guilty, he'll probably still openly discuss his affinity for sleeping in the same bed with young boys, a psychological gap that will most likely continue to make Jackson the subject of public ridicule. Even if Michael Jackson walks, he probably won't be able to moonwalk away from his image.
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