HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I

In June 1995, Michael Jackson released a double album that was equal parts victory lap and battle cry. HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I splits cleanly in two: disc one, HIStory Begins, rounds up 15 hits from his solo catalog, a greatest-hits set that runs from the disco pulse of "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" to the socially conscious anthem "Man in the Mirror." Disc two, HIStory Continues, offers 15 new songs that show a singer bruised by the media and the 1993 child abuse allegations. The album arrived on June 16, 1995 through Epic Records and Jackson's own MJJ Productions.

The new material on disc two is darker and more confrontational than anything Jackson had made before. "Scream," a duet with his sister Janet, is a hard funk rock outburst at tabloid culture. "They Don't Care About Us" attacks social injustice with a marching beat. "Earth Song" swells into an orchestral plea for the environment. "You Are Not Alone," written by R. Kelly, became the first single in Billboard history to debut at number one on the Hot 100. Guests include the Notorious B.I.G. on "This Time Around," Shaquille O'Neal on "2 Bad," and Slash on guitar for "D.S." and "They Don't Care About Us."

The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and in 19 other countries. It sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. "Scream" won a Grammy for Best Music Video. Critical reception was mixed; some praised the ambition while others found the new songs bloated. Jackson took the album on the HIStory World Tour, which grossed $165 million and became the highest-grossing solo tour of the 1990s.[edit]