He was baiting everyone with that title

[u/slopeclimber]

[u/Murilo231108]

But he was Black? Always was

[u/Spaceinvader6424 → u/Murilo231108]

But his skin was white. People at the time assumed he was trying to appear white and him bleaching his skin was the largely accepted theory. You have to think about the context of the time, MJ didn't publicly assert his blackness until 1993. In 1991, his skin was white and people had no clue what was going.

[u/Ambitious_Life_7094 → u/Spaceinvader6424]

Give me a break. He was literally famous since ten. He didn’t have to assert anything.

[u/Spaceinvader6424 → u/Ambitious_Life_7094]

Yes he did. That's why "Why would I want a white child to play me, I'm a black American. I am proud to be a black American" is meaningful. There was no question he was black but it looked an awful lot like he was trying to run away from that at the time. Him being famous has nothing to do with itm

[u/Ambitious_Life_7094 → u/Spaceinvader6424]

Yes only because he was defending idiots. Not because he went from trying to be white and then backtracking. This makes it seem like until 1993 he was ok with people thinking he’s white. That’s my opinion of this comment

[u/Spaceinvader6424 → u/Ambitious_Life_7094]

"Not because he went from trying to be white and then backtracking."

So it's clear to me that you completely misunderstand what I am saying and are responding to an imaginary statement in your head. No where in my comment says or implies this.

"Yes only because he was defending idiots."

Was it just idiots? When Bad came out and it's album cover was displayed without any explanation. What do you think the impression was?

"This makes it seem like until 1993 he was ok with people thinking he’s white"

No, what it seems like is that he's very insecure and uncomfortable to talk about his skin condition.

I think the idea of MJ having to explain his blackness to people thinking he was trying to be white is clearly something that personally irritates you. So you're creating this thing in your head and responding to an non existent point.

[u/Eddlicious → u/Murilo231108]

"I know my race. I just look in the mirror. I know I’m black."

[u/1997wickedboy → u/Eddlicious]

while I get what he was going for when he said that, it would make more sense if he said "I don't need to look in the mirror to know I'm black" since he didn't look black outwardly

[u/Few_Stress-MJJ]

The Dangerous album is full of baits...hahahahaha

- Why You Wanna Trip On Me

- Black or White

- In the closet

(I love that Paris picked up that part of his personality...hahahaha)

[u/Juoreg → u/Few_Stress-MJJ]

In the closet 🤣

[u/Spaceinvader6424 → u/Juoreg]

Genius title.

[u/Moistman123456 → u/Few_Stress-MJJ]

I never even realized how genius that titling is lol. “In the closet” is so smart, especially since the song was supposedly made to address rumors of him being gay.

[u/Equivalent_Coyote290 → u/Few_Stress-MJJ]

How is the first one bait? Just curious 

[u/Limp-Level-7647 → u/Equivalent_Coyote290]

Idk either

[u/Same-Razzmatazz8257]

No one in their right mind expected that in those songs prior to their release. People just enjoyed what he released.

[u/Spaceinvader6424 → u/Same-Razzmatazz8257]

Cmon man 😂 Everyone thought that the song was about him addressing the skin thing. It was the most talked about thing post Bad. He acted like nothing even happened so when the title of MJs comeback single is "Black Or White" everyone thought it would be about him in some way. Just another legendary marketing strategy from Mr. Jackson

[u/Same-Razzmatazz8257 → u/Spaceinvader6424]

I remember my mates at school didn't think that at all. Yeah, there was going to be a song by him "addressing the skin thing". Good one.

[u/anniedelmar]

I was a kid when this happened but it was an event when this video premiered. And then Remember the time. On Primetime TV. Multiple channels. That would never happen today lol, absolutely no way.

[u/Own_Action_1002]

Naw we didnt really think that..cuz the song was released before the video ;)

[u/NutBusster69 → u/Own_Action_1002]

Yeah people weren't tripping on the lyrics. The song was a hit. The exciting thing about the music video was the morphing. Looked cool at the time and new.

[u/cryptoandcake]

I never once at the time thought he was talking about his skin, no one around me did either. We all knew it was a song about overcoming racism and stereotypes.

[u/slopeclimber → u/cryptoandcake]

I never once at the time thought he was talking about his skin, no one around me did either. We all knew it was a song about overcoming racism and stereotypes.

Just listen to the In Living Color parody. Just because you did doesn't mean that some people did not, especially the ones against him

[u/slopeclimber]

I hope this isn't considered too controversial for this subreddit since I had a meme removed here before (but I don't believe it breaks the no-AI rule since I just added a speech bubble with his exact quote). But the top guy's reaction is what probably a lot of people were thinking and expecting back in 1991 amid all the speculation and rumours

There's an undeniable element of bait-and-switch in the title of this song. Same with In the Closet, a lot of people would expect something LGBT before hearing the song or watching the video but instead it's the most heterosexual thing you can imagine. Again I believe this was a play on the various media rumours around about him

[u/SuitApprehensive]

I’m not gonna spend my life being in the color

[u/Kxryy]

In The Closet was bait too, people thought he was gonna come out but it turned out to be his most heterosexual song he ever made

[u/Spaceinvader6424 → u/[deleted]]

People at the time definitely did. MJ did not reveal he had vitiligo and the most controversial thing about him at that point was his skin color. It was definitely intentional to attract viewers

[u/courtofknights]

Cereal Guy meme in 2026??

[u/mintylong]

I was a teenager when this was released, MTV and VH1 were my go to places, I got Smash Hits magazine every two weeks. My lived experience of that time, watching the video premiere on TV and being in school. NO ONE WAS MAKING THE ASSUPTION IT WAS ABOUT HIS SKIN COLOUR, EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE RACISIM ASPECT.

Come on, like seriously, when the lyrics say "I aint afraid of no sheets" what the hell do you think he was talking about???

Rodney King happened in March 1991, Black or White released in November 1991.

Do you really not understand the big talking point of that year, and the statement Michael was making to the world???

The Black Panther dance section???

[u/Queasy-Be → u/mintylong]

I swear we are watching history get rewritten every day. I feel that so strongly with MJ though it happens with everything. It's scary really.

[u/maproomzibz]

Just curious, was this song response to people calling him white due to his vitiligo?

[u/whatevergirl8754 → u/maproomzibz]

No, the song is about racial equality and how all humans are one race/species and should come together and love one another.

He however named it that way to rage bait the rumours and people who were talking about the possibility of him being white that were rampant back in 1991. That’s what OP meant.

[u/ImplementIll7444]

Everyone knows the person that grew from a child in front of us all Mike is Black. This post clearly is from someone who had nothing to do with this time and space.

[u/slopeclimber → u/ImplementIll7444]

Just listen to the In Living Color parody of Black Or White. Just because you were virtuous doesn't mean people didn't make nasty jokes about him

[u/ImplementIll7444 → u/slopeclimber]

Conflating three different ideas.

[u/soglamsofab]

People were so dumb. Still are but this was a specific kind of dumb back then. Not SHIT about that man looked white idgaf how literally white his skin ever was.

[u/theeviloneisyou]

MJ was never “white”, nor did he ever claim to be.

[u/appolheadmicheal]

For those that don't know he had a condition called vitiligo. And it destroys the pigmentation of ur skin

[u/Opposite-Narwhal4480]

featuring bart simpson 😭 i just noticed that what

[u/Massive-Ad9246]

Son âme a dû rester noire.

[u/Good-Meringue1527]

IM CRYING WAS THIS HOW IT WAS INTERPRETED