ABSTRACT
Michael Jackson exists outside of time as one of the unsung contributors to Afrofuturism. By looking at four Jackson music videos chronologically, the audience can experience how Jackson touches on every element of speculative art—horror, fantasy, and science fiction—with a distinctly Black retelling. It is important to note that while the lyrics may not speak to Afrofuturism directly, Jackson’s videos focus on the limitlessness of the imagination, which is intrinsically tied to Afrofuturism. Jackson uses Afrofuturism coupled with his distinct cosmology to inscribe blackness as a promise for the salvation of all.
