A common question thrown around music circles is "How would Michael Jackson sound if he was a modern-day singer?" Well, Michael Trapson (real name Dean Anthony Morrow Jr.) not only answers that question, but takes it to the logical extreme, re-imagining Jackson as a modern-day Trap rapper/singer, complete with gratuitous Auto-Tune, stereotypically repetitive lyrics, smoking weed and drinking lean, carrying guns, and videos featuring half-naked women twerking and dancing in the club.
Originally starting as a rapper under the name "OG Cano", Morrow got the idea of Jackson being a trap artist from a relative, and ran with it, eventually resulting in "Billie Jean and I Dab
", which quickly went viral, and amassed nearly five million views.
Despite being on the extreme end of Alternative Character Interpretation, Trapson's parodies are very respectful of Jackson and his work, and goes the distance to make sure the the songs, videos, and events in Jackson's life are depicted accurately, while still utilizing artistic license for humor's sake, ranging from his rumored beef with Prince, to Captain EO.
Trapson's YouTube channel can be found here.
Trapson's work contains examples of:
- Adaptational Badass: Unlike the normally non-violent Jackson, Trapson is not afraid to use his hands, or guns, to get people off his back.note
- Affectionate Parody:
- As noted in the page description, despite the premise of the parody, Trapson is a fan of Jackson, and it shows. He's also done parodies of Jackson being inserted various films, TV shows, and even games, including Friday, Candyman, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Grand Theft Auto.
- The parodies have also extended to Prince, usually lampooning the supposed rivalry between him and Jackson.
- Alternative Character Interpretation: Deliberately invoked here, as Trapson is a take of Jackson as a modern R&B musician, and all of the gimmicks and vices that come with it.
- Artistic License – History: Goes without saying, being a parody and all, but to note a few examples:
- While the first three episodes of the MJ vs. Prince saga is mostly accurate outside of the break-in chapter, there's a couple of things to note:
- While the set-up has them crossing paths in the bathroom at a James Brown concert, it's actually unknown how and when Prince crossed paths with Jackson prior to the latter convincing Brown to call him up onstage. Conversely, Prince actually did want to run Jackson over with a car after the show, but he didn't get the chance (according to Quincy Jones).
- While it's true Jackson did receive a tape of Prince's reworking of "Bad", it's unknown if Jackson had actually listened to it.
- While the first three episodes of the MJ vs. Prince saga is mostly accurate outside of the break-in chapter, there's a couple of things to note:
- Big Damn Movie: Trapson EO, a send up of Captain EO, with a dash of The Last Dragon for good measure.
- Celebrity Impersonator: An unconventional example, as he's not a by-the-numbers Jackson impersonator, as stated above.
- Cover Version: He actually does straight-faced MJ covers once in a while, though they're typically reserved for live shows.
- The Diss Track: Sent out a major one towards Wade Robson in response to the Leaving Neverland documentary.
- Ode to Intoxication: Unsurpisingly, he's got more than a few but "High" is probably his most popular one.
- The Stoner: A requirement, since he's a trap music parody of Jackson.
- Trap Music: Most of his musical output are parodies of Jackson's tracks with trap lyrics and production to fit the gimmick, though he's done original tracks as Trapson as well.
