Excellence Isn't a Box To Check

Darkness falls across the land / The midnight hour is close at hand / Creatures crawl in search of blood / To terrorize y'alls neighborhood…

I remember being a little kid and SO CREEPED OUT and amazed by the Thriller video. I saw bits and pieces until I was at my cousin’s house (a den of forbidden TV and music) when I finally saw it in its entirety. Oh. My. God. When Michael turns around with his lizard-werewolf eyes, and you hear Vincent Price’s cackle, I was blown away. And completely terrified. Goodbye, sleep!

43 years later, the Thriller video is still used every Halloween and shows up consistently in the pop culture zeitgeist through flash mobs, dance parties, parades, memes, and commercials. That’s where my conversation with Dr. Imani Cheers began this week.

Dr. Imani Cheers, a commentator, professor, and lifelong storyteller, speaks to the enduring legacy of Thriller, and the creative brilliance of Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, and Beyoncé, three artists who were never limited to genre, because their north star was and is excellence. They push boundaries and blend music in ways that others haven’t considered or thought were possible.

They didn’t wait for permission to explore new genres or rewrite the rules. They just did it, creating a beautiful, bold, unapologetic feast for listeners and a blueprint for those to follow.

If you’re open to it, think about where you are still coloring inside the lines because someone told you to or because it's what they want. What colors are you using? What might open up if you stop asking whether you “fit in” and instead focus on what feels true and excellent to you? What’s standing in your way?

Dr. Cheers also shares stories from her father’s work as a photojournalist at publications like Ebony and Jet, capturing everything from the Soweto uprisings to Prince’s Purple Rain tour, as well as her mother's documentation of her family. She explains how these experiences shaped her understanding of history, hope, and community. It’s a reminder that documenting what matters isn’t just about memory; it’s about meaning.

Her reflections on the power of storytelling, connection, and optimism are a call to keep choosing to see, to record, and to stay rooted in one another.

🎧 Listen to The Genius Behind Thriller: Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, and Soundtrack of American Culture with Dr. Imani Cheers on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.

 xoxo,

Meghan