Dangerous (1991)

Dangerous is the eighth studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released through Epic Records on November 21, 1991. It was released four years after Jackson's previous album, Bad (1987). Jackson departed from longtime collaborator Quincy Jones, instead co-producing the album with Bill Bottrell, Teddy Riley, and Bruce Swedien. The album features guest appearances from Heavy D, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Slash, and Wreckx-n-Effect. The album incorporates new jack swing, pop, R&B, and hip-hop. Jackson wrote or co-wrote most of the songs, centered on topics like lust, unity, social issues, and self-improvement.

Dangerous is considered an artistic change for Jackson, with a more socially conscious material and a broader range of sounds and styles, including underground sounds. It features industrial, funk, electronic, gospel, classical, and rock. Nine singles from the album premiered between November 1991 and December 1993, including one exclusively released outside North America ("Give In to Me"). In support of the album, Jackson embarked on the Dangerous World Tour, which grossed $100 million.

Dangerous was generally a critical success, with praise for its artistic leap compared to Jackson's previous albums. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard Top Pop Albums chart and remained there for four consecutive weeks. It also reached number 1 in fourteen other countries. In 1992, it became Jackson's third consecutive album to become the year's best-selling album worldwide. "Black or White" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Remember the Time", "In the Closet", and "Will You Be There" reached the top ten.

Dangerous is one of the best-selling albums of all time, having sold 32 million copies worldwide, and is certified 8× platinum in the United States. It has been included in several best-album lists and received numerous awards, including Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical at the 1993 Grammy Awards and Favorite Pop/Rock Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Song (for "Remember the Time") at the 1993 American Music Awards. It has since been credited by critics as Jackson's final "classic" album and his most artistically ambitious work.

Background

After the success of his seventh studio album, Bad (1987), Michael Jackson wanted more independence and control over the creative process. He separated himself from longtime producer Quincy Jones to avoid the perception that his success depended on him. Jackson began working on new tracks in 1989, with a handful of members from the B-team of Bad, including Matt Forger and Bill Bottrell. The album was conceived as a greatest hits collection, Decade, with a handful of new songs, similar to Madonna's The Immaculate Collection. Jackson received $18 million in advance.

Decade was scheduled for a late 1989 release, but was delayed several times, before another release date was set for November 1990. Jackson was preoccupied with ongoing changes in his management team while also attempting to realize his filmmaking ambitions. In June 1990, reports stated that he had collapsed while he was dancing in his home studio due to a possible panic attack, with symptoms of chest pains, dehydration and inflammation of the ribs. Soon after the incident, Decade was dropped entirely and Jackson determined that his new material constituted a full album.