Rhetoric Society Quarterly Mar 2024

“It’s Just Business”: Michael Jackson’s Purchase of the Beatles Catalog as Counterpunch, Copia, and Rhythmic Reparations

K. Shannon Howard

Abstract

According to Black Twitter community members, who were active online just after rock 'n' roll artist Little Richard's passing in 2020, Michael Jackson's purchase of the Beatles catalog (thirty-five years prior) was viewed as what Twitter user and academic author DJ Scholarship calls "rhythmic reparations," offering restitution for Black artists like Little Richard who were never compensated fairly in a white industry. The purchase of Sony/ATV then became more than just a business transaction; it worked rhetorically as a pop culture object to amplify and change narratives about race, music, money, and power. I rely on two concepts of rhetoric—counterpunch and copia—to reexamine language surrounding Jackson's initial purchase and the conversation about Jackson occurring in the wake of Little Richard's death. I also explain how this conversation on Black Twitter led me to revise my knowledge of popular culture and music history and to confront my own white privilege.

Journal
Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Published
2024-03-14
DOI
10.1080/02773945.2023.2264260
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Topics
rhetorical criticism social media
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