Why is famous michael jackson

The cultural gatekeepers not only failed to initially recognize the legitimacy of these new musical styles and forms, they also tended to overlook or reduce the achievements of the African-American men and women who pioneered them. Given this history of white coronation, it is worth considering why the media took such issue with referring to Michael Jackson as the King of Pop.

Certainly his achievements merited such a title. Yet up until his death in , many journalists insisted on referring to him as the "self-proclaimed King of Pop. Jackson was well-aware of this history and consistently pushed against it.

In , Rolling Stone passed on a cover story about the singer, saying that it didn't feel Jackson merited front cover status. Some day those magazines will come begging for an interview. Jackson, of course, was right Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner actually sent a self-deprecatory letter acknowledging the oversight in And during the s, at least, Jackson's image seemed ubiquitous.

Yet over the long haul, Jackson's initial concern seems legitimate. As shown in the breakdown below, his appearances on the front cover of Rolling Stone , the United States' most visible music publication, are far fewer than those of white artists:. Is it really possible that Michael Jackson, arguably the most influential artist of the 20th century , merited less than half the coverage of Bono, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna?

Of course, this disregard wasn't limited to magazine covers. It extended into all realms of print media. In a speech in Harlem, Jackson not only protested his own slights, but also articulated how he fit into a lineage of African-American artists struggling for respect:. While there was certainly some rhetorical flourish to his "not one black person on the cover" claim, his broader point of severely disproportionate representation in print was unquestionably accurate. Both dealt with the scandals and controversies of his personal life.

It seemed the only way Michael Jackson could get covered was if he was presented as a freak, a curiosity, a spectacle. Even reviews of his albums, post- Thriller , focused on the sensational and were overwhelmingly condescending , when not outright hostile. Of course, this poor coverage wasn't only about race. Biases were often more subtle, veiled and coded. They were wrapped together with his overall otherness and conflated with the "Wacko Jacko" media construct.

In addition, as Baldwin astutely noted, there were not entirely unrelated apprehensions about his wealth and fame, anxieties about his eccentricities and sexuality, confusion about his changing appearance, contempt for his childlike behavior, and fears about his power.

But the bottom line is this: Somehow, in the midst of the circus that surrounded him, Jackson managed to leave behind one of the most impressive catalogs in the history of music. Rarely has an artist been so adept at communicating the vitality and vulnerability of the human condition: the exhilaration, yearning, despair, and transcendence.

Michael was just 11 years old — the same age I was — but he sang and moved with the soul, precision and confidence of a Lilliputian James Brown. The level of professionalism — dare I say, the mastery — was off the charts. Looking back, it seems ironic that I witnessed this performance on a black-and-white television. Watching the Jackson 5 that October night, my drab world suddenly went widescreen, went Technicolor. I wasn't the only one affected. My year-old sister had this fevered expression on her face that I'd never seen before.

Even in my youth and inexperience, I knew that look. It was the expression of a girl consumed by the flames of sexual obsession.

And that's when the tears began to trickle. I knew that, barring a miracle, I would never annihilate a woman the way Michael did when he performed.

It's been a year since we learned of the King of Pop's death, right on the eve of a much-anticipated series of comeback concerts. Michael possessed the same megaton talent and appeal as Elvis and the Beatles.

When Michael sang and moved, you couldn't take your eyes or ears off of him. Michael was transformed into a global megastar in the wake of his coming-of-age masterpieces Off The Wall and Thriller , but he was always a megastar to African-American boomers like myself. Just as Elvis and the Beatles lit fires in the hearts of suburban white kids, Michael and his brothers inspired a generation of black kids to take up music. Thanks to his influence, I learned to play the guitar.

It's a gift that keeps on giving. In death as in life, Michael's mystique just seems to grow. Nowadays I'm struck by the notion that he was a sort of pop messiah — a notion underscored by the eerie Biblical allegories of Michael's life. Born the impoverished son of a man named Joseph, Michael was a musical wonderworker who sacrificed his youth to inspire others. His career leveled off in the mid-'70s, only to stage the most successful "resurrection" in entertainment history.

Many fans will argue that Michael was unjustly persecuted i. Any mythology professor worth his or her salt would have a field day with this stuff. I was trawling the Internet last June 25 when news broke that Michael had been rushed to the hospital suffering cardiac arrest.

Even before his death was confirmed, I knew he was gone. For decades I had a premonition that Michael would die young, so when his time finally arrived there was no shock or prostrating grief, just acceptance. Bruce Britt is an award-winning journalist and essayist. He lives in Los Angeles with his beloved Fender Telecaster.

Michael Jackson. Facebook Twitter Email. Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. Subscribe Now. Jackson arrived at Mumbai airport Oct. A motorcade escorted him to the concert, and he stepped out of the car several times during the journey to wave at the thousands of fans lining the streets between the airport and his hotel lobby.

Fans still remember. Fans ranging from teenagers to somethings -- many dressed in Jackson's trademark outfits—staged an impromptu candlelit memorial June 27 in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park.

While some showed off dance moves and sang songs, others wept openly and prayed at makeshift altars. Famous in the country since the release of "Off the Wall," he became even bigger in , when he started his "Bad" world tour at the Tokyo Dome. Hundreds of screaming girls greeted his arrival at Tokyo's Narita Airport, which was covered by 1, journalists; another covered the arrival of Bubbles, Jackson's chimp, who came on a separate flight. Sony reports career album sales of at least 4.

But his impact went beyond sales. His tour helped reshape J-pop's choreography, as performers tried to appropriate his moves. The news of his death caused such a stir in Japanese society that three cabinet ministers took the unusual step of commenting on his passing.

Jackson had attended an event there in , presided over by then-Tower Records Japan president Keith Cahoon. Search term. Billboard Pro Subscribe Sign In. Top Artists. Top Charts. Hot Songs. Billboard Top Videos. Top Articles. By Billboard Staff. Copied to clipboard.

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