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"The King of Pop" (Painting by Kadir Nelson)

Date range confirmed in MTV News

Kadir Nelson, MTV News (December 13, 2010)

Nelson said the ball started rolling in 2003, when Michael was working on songs for his Number Ones collection at Marvin's Room, the legendary Los Angeles recording studio founded by R&B great Marvin Gaye in 1975. Jackson saw a pair of paintings Nelson had made chronicling Gaye's life and fell in love with the images.

"As a result of seeing it, he called me one afternoon and he said, 'I really like your Marvin Gaye painting ... I want one, about me ... but I want it bigger.' Because Michael liked things to be big," Nelson said. But, as with so many projects begun by Jackson, after Nelson followed the singer's advice and read the autobiography "Moonwalker" and did some research on the painting that was to hang in Michael's home, other things came up and the project fell through the cracks.

Then, following Jackson's death in June 2009, his longtime friend and now estate co-executor John McClain rang Nelson up and said the gig was back on. "[He said], 'It's time for you to do that painting that Michael wanted you to do,' " Nelson recalled. " 'Don't ask any questions, just do the painting and we'll figure out what to do with it later.' "

The resulting image plays into Jackson's lifelong belief that bigger is better, with a regal Michael staring out in the central image while wearing a prince's Victorian blouse with a high, ruffled collar, a silver-gloved hand placed over his heart and a jewel-encrusted crown hovering over his head. Around that central image are painted nods to everything from such classic videos as "Beat It" and "Thriller" and a spaceship from one of his favorite movies, "E.T." and MTV's Moonman, a reference to the fact that Jackson's videos helped make the channel the force it is today.

The sadness of Jackson's death made Nelson a bit hesitant at first, but he said he realized he was getting a rare second chance to follow through on the abandoned project, so he was quick to say yes. "I did it because I felt that it would be a very important document ... and a tribute to Michael's life," he said of the finished work, titled "The King of Pop."

He described it as a "panoramic celebration of Michael's life, music and career" and said he strode to make it as perfect as possible to match the level of perfection Jackson insisted on in his music and art. "I felt that I owed it to him, to his family, to his fans, to do the best job possible."

Though Nelson only spoke to Jackson that one time in 2003 over the phone, he worked with the singer's brother, Jackie Jackson, on the image over a five month period at the studio where the Michael album was being completed and said that Jackie gave some insight into his sibling's thoughts. When the final image was produced, MJ's brothers Jackie and Marlon Jackson and McClain gave it a thumbs-up and said he did a good job.

Like the video for the first single, the Mark Pellington-directed "Hold My Hand," it's an artistic leap that attempts to tap into Jackson's elusive magic, but Nelson feels like he succeeded.

He considers the final product — his biggest-ever canvas at more than 9 feet wide by 4.5 feet tall — his Sistine Chapel. And like Michelangelo's signature work, Nelson labored long and hard on the painting, putting hours in from August 2009 until January 2010 and then again on and off until October.

Uptown Magazine (December 21, 2010) (archived)

Kadir Nelson is the 36 year old artist behind the album cover art of Michael Jackson’s posthumous release, which hit stores last Tuesday. Kadir has been commissioned by publishers and production houses and is also featured in almost twenty illustrated books by authors including Debbie Allen, Ntozake Shange, and Spike and Tonya Lee. Here Kadir muses on one of his ultimate artistic dreams: creating art for MJ.

UPTOWN: Of all of your accomplishments as an artist, why is this one so significant?

KN: I am a lifelong fan of Michael Jackson. I’ve been drawing MJ since I was 8 years old. The focus of my work is to create images of people who demonstrate a sense of hope and nobility. I enjoy showing the strength and integrity of the human being and the human spirit. So it was a big thrill to get a call from Michael and have an opportunity to create something for him.

UPTOWN: How did Michael discover your work?

KN: In 2003 when Michael was recording songs for his album, Number Ones at Marvin Gaye’s recording studio he saw several of my paintings of Marvin that are hanging there. Michael was particularly taken by the painting The Life and Times of Marvin Gaye. It’s a visual story that tells the journey of Marvin’s very full life. John Nettlesby, who managed the studio, said Michael would just sit and look at the painting for hours. Then MJ asked John to call me to let me know he was going to call me. Michael said he wanted one just like it but bigger.

UPTOWN: Why did it take until now for the painting to be done?

KN: Michael had so many life changes after he commissioned me to do the painting so the project stalled and I wasn’t financially able to dedicate the time necessary to do the painting. It wasn’t until after his death six years later in 2009 that I received a call from John McClain, the co-executor of his estate. John said it was time to do the painting that I always wanted to do. He didn’t have any intentions for the painting at the time, he just wanted to make sure that it happened and said we could figure out what we’d do with it later. I always felt like it was a very important painting to do as a way to creatively document his life.

UPTOWN: Tell us about some of the images in the mural and your thought process in creating it.

KN: When I started the painting I thought of key moments and major milestones in Michael’s life and music and put those on canvas telling his story which I knew fans could identify. I wanted to use the theme of royalty and pop throughout the painting and I spent a continuous five months on it. The album cover itself features half the image of the full mural which is 9-by-4.5 feet. In the painting, Michael wears a suit of armor like a king would wear. He’s draped with a velvet material over his shoulder. The contrast between the hard metal and soft fabric is a metaphor for Michael’s strength and also his nature. He’s being crowned by two angels, one black one white, signifying his song Black and White and how he crossed racial boundaries.

The space ship represents a scene from the movie ET. Fans know Michael narrated the ET storybook which features a song called Somewhere in the Dark. The rollercoaster in the background is a nod to Michael’s fearlessness and also the video for Leave Me Alone. There’s also an image of burning money. He made a lot of money but he also burned through a lot of it. One of the bills is also being carried by a beetle, which represents the catalog Michael purchased which was one the smartest investments Michael made. That investment will continue to support the estate and the Jackson family.

Michael is shown 50 different times in the mural which is a nod to Michael’s age and the number of shows he was set to do before his death. We should have a contest for fans that can identify all 50 images. That would be fun.