TV producer and podcast host Carlos King isn’t afraid to speak his mind, especially when it comes to giving flowers where they’re long overdue.
On a recent episode of his hit podcast, Reality with the King, King sat down with Mathew Knowles, the legendary music executive and father of global superstars Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, for a candid conversation about his career, legacy, and the realities of navigating the music industry as a Black man.
While discussing whether Knowles faced racism during his rise as a manager and businessman, King took a moment to highlight something often overlooked: the immense sacrifices that Black fathers like Knowles and Joe Jackson made to help shape some of the most influential artists in history.
“I strongly believe we wouldn’t be enjoying the music or even knowing who they are if it wasn’t for you,” King said. “A father seeing his kid’s dreams come true should never be relegated to, ‘Oh well, he was just doing what a father does.’ I look at you and Joe Jackson, and in my humble opinion, I think you and Joe Jackson are the most disrespected Black men to ever exist in the music industry.”
King went on to explain that both men have been unfairly criticized for their roles in managing their children’s careers, while their sacrifices and vision have often been dismissed or misrepresented.
“It hurts my soul that Joe Jackson’s legacy, to me, is the fact that people see him as, ‘Oh, but you whipped your kids,’ instead of really seeing the sacrifice this Black man made — 20, 30 years before your time,” King continued. “And when I look at you, you made the same sacrifices. People just say, ‘Oh, whatever, he did this or that.’ But do you not understand what it means to dominate in a field that isn’t welcoming to someone who looks like you?”
Both Mathew Knowles and Joe Jackson played instrumental roles in the rise of two of music’s most iconic families. Beyond their managerial decisions, they served as visionaries who pushed their children toward excellence in an industry that rarely welcomed them with open arms.
