It's been a long time since anyone revered Michael Jackson. All the success of his Thriller album were followed too soon by the depths of the sexual allegations against him. Was there anyone who wanted to be like Mike?
It's my contention that the answer is a resounding yes. And there are examples all over.
News of Jackson's death Thursday brought to mind a story I read a while back. It was written by my friend Thomas Conner, now the online entertainment editor at the Chicago Sun-Times.
The very title of the story, "King of Pap," telegraphs the tone of the story he wrote back in 2001 when he was an entertainment writer at the Tulsa World. In the story, Conner asserts that despite his fabulous record sales, Jackson had not become much of an influence in music:
"To wear the crown of King of Pop, though, an artist would be expected to be omnipresent in all the fifedoms of popular music. The force of his rule should be felt in provinces as far away as jazz and indie-rock," he wrote. "But they aren't. Musicians don't cite Jackson's indomitable influence when discussing their own albums in interviews. They're not covering his songs."
But I have to disagree with my good friend on this one. It's a case of not seeing the forest for the trees. Michael Jackson was not simply an "influence" in popular music -- he had created an entire genre of music.
It has happened before. The genre of rock 'n' roll was spawned directly from Bill Haley and the Comets' "Rock Around the Clock." Heavy Metal music came directly from The Beatles' "Helter Skelter." And the night Michael Jackson sung "Billie Jean" and performed the Moonwalk on the Motown 25th Anniversary TV special, he launched the careers of dozens of today's hottest artists.
Conner writes, "Musicians don't cite Jackson's indomitable influence," but they don't have to say it. With every song that Usher and Justin Timberlake do, it proves that they are aping both Jackson's music and dancing.
If it weren't for Michael Jackson, Usher would be be the title of his profession instead of his stage name. Justin Timberlake would be just another aging former Mousketeer. And would actor Chris Tucker have a career at all, if it hadn't been for Michael Jackson?
But the genre doesn't stop there. With the help of the great NinjaSistah, we put together a list of all the artists whose careers exist solely because of the ground that was broken by one guy:
Chris Brown, Neyo, Tevin Cambell, N'Sync, TLC, 112, Diddy, Cassie, Britney Spears, Ludacris, Jamie Foxx, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Black Eyed Peas, Bobby Valentino, Ciara, Robin Thicke, Sisqo, Al B. Sure, Floetry, Due, Start, Aaliyah, R. Kelly, Amerie, Beyonce, Brandy, Ginuwine, Wyclef Jean, Mario, New Edition, Omarion, SWV, Fall Out Boy, Snoop, Alien Ant Farm and the pop songs of Will Smith. Oh, and most of the artists who have ever appeared on American Idol.
Personally, I never was a big fan, but I always admired him. I was in eighth grade when he and his brothers took the song "ABC" to No. 1. Years later, I was glued to the set the night MTV debuted that amazing "Thriller" video.
I was equally aghast the night I saw him try to explain his way around his affection for small boys. I can't speak to his actual guilt in the matter, but it was obvious that he was certainly out of touch with reality.
A lot of words are going to be written and said about Michael Jackson in the next few days. And a lot of people are going to debate about his talent and his personal life. And, while his music might not last forever, it is certain that we're going to be listening to the musical genre he created for a very long time to come.
Labels: evermore, Music, Pop-Culture
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