Janet Jackson and the rest of the Jackson family are grieving the passing of their family patriarch, Joe Jackson, who died on June 27, 2018. As most of us true Jackson fans already know, despite the negative Nancys *coughs Bette Midler* and naysayers *coughs Michael Jackson’s manslaughter convicted doctor*, Joe did a superb job raising his and Katherine’s 9 children. In the wake of his passing, Janet painfully expressed her gratitude for him her first performance since his passing.
Watch Janet’s Emotional Tribute
Janet headlined the 2018 Essence Festival in New Orleans, LA and paused her show to pay a beautiful tribute to her father, in a way she’s never done before. She spoke of Joe’s strength as a Black man, raising 9 Black children and taking them from a poor Black neighborhood in Gary, Indiana to the heights of success that was far beyond what most could possibly dream. Janet also choked up at the reality of him transitioning on. Admitting it was a very difficult decision for her to continue her tour, following Joe’s passing, she relied on the strength Joe would have encouraged her to have, thus landing her in N.O. at the Essence Fest and here’s what she had to say:
“It was really hard for me…I didn’t know how to move forward, if I should cancel this festival or the entire tour,” she told the Essence audience. “I talked to my brother, and we started to talk about my father’s strength…If it wasn’t for his drive and strength, we wouldn’t have the success. We are a black family that came from Gary, Indiana and we broke all kinds of records around the globe.”
It’s unclear which brother she’s referring to, but if I had to guess, I’d say it’s probably the one she’s closest to, Randy Jackson, who’s always by her side. Janet continued:
“My father was a great man…and my brother, he asked me, ‘If he [Joe] were here right now listening to this conversation, what do you think he would say to you?’ And I think my father would have said, ‘Janet, please, finish what you’ve started, and I will be with you every step of the way in your heart.’ So here I am,” Janet concluded.
The crowd gave Janet thunderous applause for her strength and her dedication not only to her dad’s legacy, but to her many fans, who she’s painstakingly showing up for, in spite of her extreme grief.
Haters Proven Wrong
This is yet another example that proves that the countless Joe Jackson haters, who have been giving him backlash in the wake of his passing, do not have a clue of what the hell they’re talking about. As we previously reported, Joe’s received tons of props for being a great father to his children. However, he’s also received backlash for whipping his kids when they did wrong and being a stern father who forced them to rehearse for hours as kids. All of his children have said Joe was stern, but that they’re eternally grateful for him being so tough on him back then.
Cue The Clap-Back
This may be the perfect time to yet again cue up the potent message that Michael Jackson’s son, Prince (22), delivered to his Grandpa Joe’s haters. He checked them best with his raw and uncensored clap-back:
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“One of the things I’m gonna talk about today is my grandpa and what you f*cks got to say about it,” said Prince. “So y’all can keep talkin’ all the sh*t that you want, saying that he abused my dad and all this…and I’m gon’ make a Youtube video about it for sho.’ But, he raised these kids right, otherwise they would’ve been in gangs or fuc*in’ dead,” he continued. Then came Prince’s classic ending. “So go ahead, keep talkin’ sh*t, but you won’t EVER be as great as one of that man’s balls in his nut sack.”
Nuff’ said!
