Invincible 2001

 

Invincible is the tenth and final studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on October 30, 2001, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's last album before his death in 2009. It features appearances from Carlos Santana, the Notorious B.I.G., and Slash. It incorporates R&B, pop and soul, and similarly to Jackson's previous material, the album explores themes such as love, romance, isolation, media criticism, and social issues.

The album's creation was expensive and laborious, featuring the work of ten record producers and over 100 musicians. Jackson started the multi-genre production in 1997 and did not finish until eight weeks before the album's release. It was reported that it cost $30 million to record; as of March 2024, it remains the most expensive album ever made. Jackson refused to tour to support it, adding to the growing rift between him and Sony Music Entertainment.^[1] In July 2002, following Sony's decision to abruptly end promotion for the album, Jackson alleged that the CEO of Sony Music, Tommy Mottola, was a "devil" and a racist who used his African American artists only for personal gain.

Invincible debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States and in ten other countries worldwide. It was certified double platinum in the US in January 2002 and has sold more than eight million copies worldwide. The lead single, "You Rock My World", reached number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 2002 Grammy Awards. "Cry" and "Butterflies" were also released as singles, and "Speechless" was released as a promotional single.

Invincible received mixed reviews and became Jackson's most critically derided album. Retrospective reviews have been more positive, and it has been credited as featuring early examples of dubstep. In 2009, it was voted by online readers of Billboard as the best album of the 2000s decade.

 

Prior to the release of Invincible, Jackson had not released any new material since the remix album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix in 1997. His last studio album was HIStory (1995). Invincible was therefore viewed as Jackson's "career comeback".^[3]

Jackson began recording new material in October 1997, and finished with "You Are My Life" being recorded only eight weeks before the album's release in October 2001 – the most extensive recording of Jackson's career.^[4] The tracks with Rodney Jerkins were recorded at the Hit Factory in Miami, Florida.^[5] Jackson had shown interest in including a rapper on at least one song, and had said that he did not want a "known rapper".^[4] Jackson's spokesperson suggested a New Jersey rapper named Fats; after Jackson heard the finished product of the song, the two agreed to record another song together for the album.^[4]

Rodney Jerkins stated that Jackson was looking to record material in a different musical direction than his previous work, describing the new direction as "edgier".^[4] Jackson received credit for both writing and producing a majority of the songs on Invincible. Aside from Jackson, the album features productions by Jerkins, Teddy Riley, Andre Harris, Andraeo "Fanatic" Heard, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, R. Kelly and Dr. Freeze Bill Gray and writing credits from Kelly, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, Nora Payne and Robert Smith.^[6] The album is the third collaboration between Jackson and Riley, the other two being Dangerous and Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. Invincible is Jackson's tenth and final studio album to have been recorded and released during his lifetime.^[7] It was reported that it cost thirty million dollars to make the album,^[8] making it the most expensive album ever made.^[9]

Invincible was dedicated to the fifteen-year-old Afro-Norwegian boy Benjamin "Benny" Hermansen who was stabbed to death by a group of neo-Nazis in Oslo, Norway, in January 2001.^[10] The reason for this tribute was partly due to the fact that another Oslo youth, Omer Bhatti, Jackson's friend, was also a good friend of Hermansen.^[10] The dedication in the album reads, "Michael Jackson gives 'special thanks': This album is dedicated to Benjamin 'Benny' Hermansen. May we continue to remember not to judge a man by the color of his skin, but the content of his character. Benjamin ... we love you ... may you rest in peace."^[10] The album is also dedicated to Nicholette Sottile and Jackson's parents, Joseph and Katherine Jackson.