Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic gave '' HIStory '' three-out-of-five stars , but commented that it was a " monumental achievement " of Jackson 's ego . Erlewine remarked that on the '' HIStory Begins '' CD , it contains " some of the greatest music in pop history " but that it leaves some hits out , citing " Say Say Say " and " Dirty Diana " — commenting that " yet it 's filled with enough prime material to be thoroughly intoxicating " . Erlewine noted that '' HIStory Continues '' is " easily the most personal album Jackson has recorded " and that its songs ' lyrics referencing the molestation accusations create a " thick atmosphere of paranoia " . He cited " You Are Not Alone " and " Scream " as being " well-crafted pop that ranks with his best material " , but concludes that " nevertheless , '' HIStory Continues '' stands as his weakest album since the mid - '70s . " David Browne of '' Entertainment Weekly '' , gave " HIStory Begins " an " A - " grade but the album 's new material a " C - " , which " winds up a B " for the entire album . Browne commented that the music " rarely seems to transport him ( and thereby us ) to a higher plane . " Controversy with the album came with Jackson having to rerecord some lyrics in " They Do n't Care About Us " after he was accused of antisemitism , and contributor R. Kelly was accused of having plagiarized one of the album 's songs , " You Are Not Alone " , leading to its banning on Belgian radio . '' HIStory '' was nominated for five Grammy Awards at the 1996 and 1997 ceremonies respectively , winning one award . " You Are Not Alone " was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male , " Scream " was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and " Scream " won Best Music Video - Short Form and " Earth Song " was nominated for the same award the following year . The album itself was nominated for Album of the Year . At the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards , " Scream " received ten nominations , winning in three categories
1995 MTV Video Music Awards
1995 MTV Video Music Awards
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I