Michael Jackson is a legend. He's not a legend because he's dead. He's a legend because of what he accomplished in his niche and how much influence he had, is having and will have well into the future. He worked damn hard to achieve all that he did in an unwelcome climate. Obviously, he was the shining star amongst the Jackson 5 and one only had to listen to him and watch him for 5 minutes to see that there was talent brewing inside the sweet looking kid. He had true dedication and passion to the art. Something that is lacking among the pop artists of the last two decades. That dedication showed that he valued his work and the audience. He had a very unique voice and talent to draw in the masses and seduce an audience. I feel like God created him solely to entertain the masses. That makes me sad for his life but at least he had a purpose and accomplished so many things beyond our wildest dreams. Michael put his heart and soul into his music and performance. I can't say the same for 99.9% of pop artists of today. When i see Britney Spears doing her sleep walking she calls performing, i miss Michael Jackson and regret being born into this generation instead of my parents. I love his music specifically his voice. Not to get very specific and personal but, I was born somewhere in West Africa and not many foreign artist make it across the Atlantic ocean. But amongst the ones that did back in the 90s when i was still there, Michael Jackson was a dominating force. Even with the distinct cultural differences, it was easy to be enchanted with his music and words and voice and the emotion within it. He was really a phenomenon. He transcended age, borders, the socially constructed race, ethnicity, culture, language, ideology and wormed his way into people's heart. I know he is the king of pop, but i think his music were more than just pop. They were popular but he made great use of different styles to create music and didn't let the genre he was thrown into box him in. I liked that about his music. I don't have to mention his dancing as they are a work of art by itself. The way he used his body to communicate and mesmerize the world is unmatched for me. I would say he was a genius at entertaining. A gifted one. His professional achievement and life will overshadow and does overshadow his personal one. As an artist, i think no one has accomplished as much as he has and will for a long time. I can't believe some people thought Usher or Justin Bieber or Timberlake were going to be it. Such crazy talk. You cannot be the next anything whilst emulating that very thing or person.( and need what is called talent and uniqueness) As much as i may like these artists to some degree, at best, they would only be a photo copied, xeroxed 100 times 99 cents version.
[video=youtube;rnPQUgdIqZk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnPQUgdIqZk[/video] ^^ Here's an awesome tribute.