MJ on new song “Eagle Eye”

[Hot_Street]

UK rap originator Lancey Foux is back with a statement. On Tuesday, the London-born artist released his new single “Eagle Eye,” a track that finds him airing out long-simmering frustrations with the music industry, while pointedly referencing the rise of fellow UK rapper EsDeeKid. The song closes with a striking spoken-word moment from Michael Jackson, tying Lancey’s personal grievances to a much larger, historic struggle for Black artists’ rights.

While Lancey Foux remains deeply loved by UK audiences, the emergence of artists like EsDeeKid, Fimiguerrero, and Fakemink has led some critics on X to claim that Lancey has “fallen off.” Others have gone further, accusing him of being lazy or a “bag-fumbler,” especially in light of EsDeeKid’s rumored deal. On “Eagle Eye,” Lancey directly addresses those narratives, pushing back against the idea that success is purely about talent or timing, and instead pointing toward systemic label politics.

What truly elevates “Eagle Eye,” however, is its closing moment. Lancey Foux incorporates a speech from Michael Jackson, in which the legendary artist speaks candidly about the exploitation of Black performers by record companies. In the excerpt, Michael Jackson declares:

This is very important, because
Throughout the years, Black artists have been taken advantage of, completely
And it’s time now that we have to put a stop to this incredible, incredible injustice
And like, uh, like, um, what Al Sharpton was saying
People from James Brown to Sammy Davis Jr
Some of the real pioneers that, uh, that inspired me to be the entertainer that I am
These artists are always on tour because if they stopped touring they would totally go broke
And, uh, it’s been— the record companies really, really do conspire against their artists
They steal, they cheat, they do whatever they can

Lancey Foux Drops “Eagle Eye,” Featuring a Powerful Michael Jackson Speech on Black Artist Exploitation - MJVibe

UK rap originator Lancey Foux is back with a statement. On Tuesday, the London-born artist released his new single “Eagle Eye,”

www.mjvibe.com

 

[R1chard]

Can't say I agree. There's always been popular black artists.

Labels try to cheat all artists out of money.

It's not something any of us should care about.

 

[Sensual visionary]

Labels try to cheat all artists out of money.

Of course it's important to care about. There's always a hierarchy and generational powers controlled monetary institutions, funding, decided what culture was most acceptable... still do

We should listen to what MJ was saying - he knew a lot more than all of us what went on

 

[apple🍎]

Can't say I agree. There's always been popular black artists.

Labels try to cheat all artists out of money.

It's not something any of us should care about.

There's always been? Uh...

You know when the Jackson 5 debuted, Jim Crow laws still existed, right?

 

[R1chard]

Of course it's important to care about. There's always a hierarchy and generational powers controlled monetary institutions, funding, decided what culture was most acceptable... still do

I simply don't care what culture is "most acceptable". I listen to whatever I want to listen to, watch whatever I want to watch, etc. I'm not concerned about a hierarchy and generational powers. Whatever that is.

There's always been? Uh...

You know when the Jackson 5 debuted, Jim Crow laws still existed, right?

I'm talking pre Jackson 5.

Black artists have been popular since at least the 1940s. That's about the same time that they introduced the pop charts.

Lead Belly was already a notable musician in 1903.

Stop swallowing the narrative. It's not a big conspiracy. White artists go broke too.

 

[DuranDuran]

Black artists have been popular since at least the 1940s. That's about the same time that they introduced the pop charts.

Lead Belly was already a notable musician in 1903.

Stop swallowing the narrative. It's not a big conspiracy. White artists go broke too.

But it was segregated. Black music artists were called "race music", no matter what they actually played. Very few had a white audience and most that did were big band swing jazz. This was the era of blackface & Stepin Fetchit style acting in mainstream Hollywood films. There was also the popularity of "coon" songs. Most Black artists performed for Black audiences on the Chitlin' Circuit. The ones that did have a white audience could not stay in the white hotels or eat in the restaurants. They could not enter the front door of the clubs they played in, they had to enter in the kitchen. They could not perform for a mixed race audience, white & Black audiences had separate shows.

That Benny Goodman was called "The King Of Swing" is no different from Elvis Presley decades later

 

[apple🍎]

Black artists have been popular since at least the 1940s. That's about the same time that they introduced the pop charts.

Lead Belly was already a notable musician in 1903.

Stop swallowing the narrative. It's not a big conspiracy. White artists go broke too.

Popular in the 1940s? My man, Ella Fitzgerald couldn't sing in white places. No, they're not the same at all.

I don't mind Elvis and The Beatles, but it's true they were doing what Jackie Wilson or Little Richard or Chuck Berry did. But the ones who had global success were the white ones. Elvis and Beatles never went broke the way Little Richard and Jackie went! Elvis paid for Jackie Wilson's hospital bills.

Michael was the first black star that was allowed to go global and that wasn't without very dire consequences.

Tommy Mottola did say racist things, as claimed by Michael and even Mariah Carey. There is indeed less opportunities for black people. Come on, Jim Crow! Black people couldn't share white spaces. How in the world are white artists suffering the same?

 

[R1chard]

Popular in the 1940s? My man, Ella Fitzgerald couldn't sing in white places. No, they're not the same at all.

Segregated... So, um, could white singers entertain a black audience?

I don't mind Elvis and The Beatles, but it's true they were doing what Jackie Wilson or Little Richard or Chuck Berry did.

That's what I meant. For every white star you name, I can give you 3 black ones.

But the ones who had global success were the white ones. Elvis and Beatles never went broke the way Little Richard and Jackie went! Elvis paid for Jackie Wilson's hospital bills.

Most likely because the different groups they were selling to. ie more white people, and historically a higher disposable income.

And the differences in target population is a very different problem than what you're trying to talk about.

There is indeed less opportunities for black people. Come on, Jim Crow! Black people couldn't share white spaces. How in the world are white artists suffering the same?

Why are you mixing tenses?

Are you talking about the past? (Which we can't change)

Or are you talking about the present? (Which is very different, even to the point where black artists are more popular).

 

[DuranDuran]

Most likely because the different groups they were selling to. ie more white people, and historically a higher disposable income.

The difference is that white radio stations in the late 1950s would play Pat Boone covers of Little Richard & Fats Domino more than the originals. So Pat carted higher. The Black artists were not generally marketed to white radio and many places did not even have a radio station that played Black artists. During that time movie theaters & TV stations in the southern USA would often edit out non-whites in movies & TV shows. Nay King Cole & Hazel Scott both had TV shows that had a hard time getting sponsers and southern stations would not broadcast them at all. Same in more recent times when New Kids On The Block, NSYNC, & Backstreet Boys would get more airplay on Top 40 than New Edition. Black artists had to "crossover" to Top 40 and very few were allowed to do that. Early MTV claimed that Black artists didn't make the music that fit their format (rock), when they showed videos by white artists doing R&B or reggae/ska based music (Hall & Oates, The Police, Doobie Brothers/Michael McDonald, ABC, Culture Club, Wham!, etc). They played a rap video by Blondie (Rapture). There were also actual Black rock groups that early MTV did not show like The Bus Boys & Fishbone. Even David Bowie went on MTV and asked them about this. The clip is on Youtube right now.

Rolling Stone (the magazine) said they would do an article on Michael Jackson (Off The Wall era), but not put him on the cover. He was nominated for R&B awards at the time, not in the main categories.