The king of pop-RIP (Michael Jackson in general)

Member Name: ajbluestar

Product:	Michael Jackson in general
Date:	26/06/09 (39 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: inspiration to many,

Disadvantages: from me : none

This is a review written as somewhat of a tribute to one of my heroes and idols, Michael Joseph Jackson also known as the king of pop. He was born on the 29th of August 1958 and tragically died on June 25th 2009 of a suspected heart attack. He was one of seven children in the Jackson family.

From a very young age he was destined for fame. He started as a backup musician in his other brothers group playing instruments. Soon enough he took up the lead vocals in the group and the group the Jackson 5 was formed. He then began his solo career and had great success. He is one of the few artists to have been in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He also has various Guinness World Records--including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"--13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career--more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era. His best selling album , Thriller sold over 109 million copies , making it the best selling album of all time.

Jackson has had a huge impact on music and culture throughout the world. Before him black music seemed to be separated but he helped to break down racial barriers, transformed the art of the music video and helped influence many of the current popular music artists around today. Jackson's music and style have influenced hip hop, pop and R&B artists, including Mariah Carey, Usher, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake .He had a great influence on the the younger generation through his musical and humanitarian contributions.

If you want to talk about his alleged child abuse which is all I think it is alleged. You have to consider his upbringing and also the role of his father who had a negative impact on his early life. From a young age Jackson was physically and mentally abused by his father, enduring constant rehearsals, whippings and name calling. Jackson's abuse as a child affected him throughout his grown life

There was a price: childhood.

"I never had the chance to do the fun things kids do," Jackson once explained. "There was no Christmas, no holiday celebrating. So now you try to compensate for some of that loss."

Another quote from the man himself:

"Why not just tell people I'm an alien from Mars. Tell them I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight. They'll believe anything you say, because you're a reporter. But if I, Michael Jackson, were to say, 'I'm an alien from Mars and I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight,' people would say, 'Oh, man, that Michael Jackson is nuts. He's cracked up. You can't believe a damn word that comes out of his mouth.'"
--Michael Jackson

He was an icon, a superstar, a man of great talent. He also had problems in his life as with many stars that become very famous. In recent years, he attracted attention for nothing to do with music. Years of plastic surgery altered the shape of his face. He was deeply in debt and had lost his way as a musician. He had not toured since 1997 or released new songs since 2001. Instead of music videos, the images of Jackson beamed around the world were tabloid reports about his strange personal behavior, including allegations of child molestation, or the latest failed relaunch of his career.

"I hate to admit it, but I feel strange around everyday people," he said on another occasion. "See, my whole life has been onstage, and the impression I get of people is applause, standing ovations and running after you. In a crowd, I'm afraid. Onstage, I feel safe. If I could, I would sleep on the stage. I'm serious."

It is really no wonder what happened to him and he did go a bit off the rails but it is a product of his upbringing as well as living his life in the media spotlight from virtually his birth to his death. He is one of the greatest musicians of all time (my number one) and an inspiration to many -RIP Michael. -The world will miss you.

Summary: Greatest musician of all time for me anyway