Introduction
Michael Jackson has come to be recognized as the king of pop culture due to his performing, songwriting, acting, and dancing skills. Michael, born in 1958 in Indiana, first came into the limelight after he and his brothers formed a band called the Jackson 5 (Epis 46). As a member of the band, the young Michael displayed unique vocal abilities, which made The Jackson 5 to be very popular. His prowess and unique talents made him the protégé of the group, and soon he was releasing his single albums. As his popularity grew, Michael became a fashion idol and influenced other pop culture artists in his ways (Mejja 1).
Unfortunately, Michael passed on at the young age of 50 because of a cardiac arrest caused by a drug overdose. Today Michaels’s song videos are still popular globally, and it is common to hear hits like “Beat it” and “Billie Jean” play on the streets (Mejja 1). Michael Jackson is such an iconic and influential figure in pop culture because of his big musical impact, groundbreaking and unique dancing style, numerous pop music hits and albums, and influence on fashion.
Background Information
Michael Jackson was the eighth child in a family of ten children. He was born in a middle-class African-American family where his mother was a pianist and his father a boxer who loved to play guitars. At the age of six, Michael Joined a family band formed by his father, where he acted as a backup vocalist. In 1965 the family band rebranded itself as the Jackson five and won its first award, a talent competition in the same year. In the five years that followed, the band traveled to different places where they performed in clubs, lounges, amphitheaters, and high school events. At this time, the music group also released several songs, including Big Boy, It’s Your Thing, and Who’s Lovin You. The group was the first African band to gain a wide following across the country (Aterianus-Owanga 370). Michael had also established himself as the most talented lead singer of the Jackson 5 group in those five years.
Controversies
Throughout his career, Michael faced many controversial moments that contributed to him being the iconic figure he is today. One of these controversies was that his skin continued to get paler, and critics said he was bleaching. The accusations continued despite his doctors stating that Michael was suffering from vitiligo, a condition that causes loss of melanin pigments. Michael was also accused of using makeup, which made his skin smoother and paler, resulting in accusations of him not being proud of his black skin (Childs 43). In response to the makeup allegations, the pop star stated that he used to make up because vitiligo made his skin have blotches that needed covering (Kluger 12).
In an interview, Michael added that he was extremely hurt by the fact that people could say he was uncomfortable with who he was. These bleaching controversies in the 1980’s only contributed to Michael’s popularity as he continued to make front-line news in pop culture magazines.
In the late 1980’s Michael got involved in more controversies that would reappear during the aftermath of his death in 2009. First, people noticed that the pop musician had lost a considerable amount of weight. Reports later came out that the musician was on medication to maintain a lean body which would facilitate his doing his spectacular dance moves. People around him noted that the medication to maintain a lean weight made him dizzy and was a contributing factor to the demises that fell on him later in his life.
Further, it was reported that Mr. Jackson usually slept in an oxygen compartment designed to slow down his aging. Although these reports were later proved to be mere speculations, they came to life again in 2009 when he died. Michael also made top news after he was accused of taking female hormones to maintain a female-like voice for his concerts. Although Michael denied all these claims and said he was disappointed by the allegations, they significantly impacted his career. Specifically, the allegations boosted sales of his concerts and albums.
Michael Jackson has been accused of child abuse and sexual violations by many people. In 1993 Michael was accused of being involved in sexual acts with a thirteen-year-old male, Jordan Chandler. The father of Chandler said that Michael was involved in kissing and oral sex with his son. The child’s mother said that Michael had not sexually molested her son, but this stand changed when she started considering suing him. In 1994 after featuring in the news for a long-time, Michael compensated Chandler’s family with $ 23 million, and the courts closed the books on the issue (Gorden, 145). In the early 2000s, more allegations were put forth against Michael Jackson of sexually abusing children, which today’s bloggers say made the pop artist even more popular.
It was found out that Jackson did various sleepovers with people, especially minors. Michael defended himself, saying that sleepovers were simply that and did not include any sexual incidences. The popular culture media actively broadcasted the allegations resulting in many people knowing about him.
The controversies concerning Jackson and sexual abuse have continued even after the musician’s death. In 2013, a law case was put forward by Wade Robson, who claimed that Michael Jackson had sexually abused her as a child for four years starting in 1993 (Keidl 1112). These claims were dismissed in court because they were filed too late. Nonetheless, the allegations continued to keep Jackson in the news and made generations who were not there during his peak know about him.
Charitable Character and Philanthropy
Throughout his musical and entertainment career, Michael Jackson was involved in many incidences of humanitarian work. Many scholars say that Michaels’s charitable nature paved the way for the charitable culture of many artists who would follow him. It is estimated that Jackson donated over $500 million to different charity events and groups throughout his career (Baid 65). Adding inflation and donations that may have failed to be accounted for, the money contributed by the artists could be significantly higher than the amount mentioned above. One of the significant charity projects done by the pop star was the Heal the World Foundation which contributed millions of dollars earned from some of his international tours.
Moreover, Michael Jackson’s charity contributions extended further from just monetary contributions. The artist held free musical concerts across the globe aimed at achieving a certain philanthropic objective, specifically to support black children. Many pop culture celebrities today follow in the shoes of Michael by visiting sick children and opening medical institutions that provide medication free or at an affordable cost.
Early in 1980, Jackson and his brothers were involved in a legal court case with Pepsi, resulting in a great boost in both their popularity and income. Pepsi had run an advertising campaign using a track that the Jackson 5 claimed that it drove its lyrics from their song Billie Jean. The Jacksons won the court case and were compensated heavily. Jackson was greatly recognized for his philanthropic efforts after contributing $1.5 million to a medical institution (Baid 66). As Jackson’s popularity and income continued to increase, so did his charitable affairs, and he donated a lot of money to different projects. Jackson opened a door for other pop-culture influencers who have since been known for their charitable character.
Revolutionized the Music Industry
Michael Jackson’s big cultural influence was attributable to many factors. One area that had a huge influence was the way he revolutionized the music industry. Through his music, especially Billie Jean, Michael changed the opinions and views of many people towards African-American men. Traditionally, African-American men were considered tough and associated with crime, but Jackson revealed a more vulnerable side using his songs.
He influenced the views of many people towards sex which before the release of his song Bad was viewed as a great taboo. In breaking the rules associated with sex, Jackson opened room for the artists who would precede him to venture into such a risky genre. Michael Jackson was fearless in addressing racism issues. In his hit song Thriller, he demonstrated how Americans of African descent are viewed as monsters no matter how handsome they are. Thriller had a real impact on the music world, and after its release, more African-American artists were involved in MTV events.
Michael Jackson was undoubtedly the best musician coming into the early 2000s and, as an industry leader, influenced the way music is produced since other artists tried to imitate him. The youth, especially those aspiring to be artists in the 1980s, tried to imitate his style of combining rock guitar with dancefloor moves. Jackson’s great voice could ignite the discos where he and his brothers performed. Jackson was technically gifted and could produce three types of ellipsis in his songs; Nominal Ellipsis, Clause Ellipsis, and Verbal Ellipsis (Batubara 1). Many people tried to imitate the Jackson 5 music group by forming groups of their own, many of which failed. When Michael Jackson changed from group music production to producing solo albums, the industry changed with him, and individual releases became more popular. However, by the time Jackson released Bad in 1987, people had started to focus more on his eccentricity than music, lowering his musical influence as his cultural one increased.
Revolutionized Dancing
Michael Jackson’s innate dancing and musical talents significantly influenced the pop world. His iconic moonwalk, popular after the release of Motown 25, established Michael Jackson as the best dancer in the world, and today many artists still imitate it when performing. According to Henry, Michael Jackson’s dancing was brilliantly composed and organized and was more than a mere gimmick (Henry 3). Although “Moonwalk” was already a popular dancing style in the mid-west when Motown 25 was released, Michael took a lot of time to train and was therefore accredited with the dancing style.
He also combined the “Moonwalk” with other popular styles such as robotic dancing, Spinning, and the popular toe stands, among other moves. The combination of music and dance made Jackson very popular in the 1980s, and his concerts and shows were always full. He played a critical part in demonstrating that for a person to be a top musical artist, they had to combine their abilities to sing with those of performing on a stage. The entertainment industry has been run this way until recently in the aftermath of COVID-19, when stay-at-home measures have impacted this cultural influence.
Michael Jackson influenced pop culture in the entertainment industry by showcasing the importance of background dancers. A spectator viewing Michael Jackson on stage would first be amazed by his exceptional dancing abilities. According to Henry, Michael was uniquely able to bring the streets to the stage (Henry 3). The ability for Jackson to dance alone and show a great ability to entertain on a stage alone was demonstrated with Billie Jean.
However, what made the shows special was how he would use background dancers that perfectly synchronized their moves with his. Many dancers still imitate the walks, spins, and moves Jackson did while on stage with his crew members. Many music videos in popular culture add depth to their videos by using the main dance in front of a triangle comprising many other backup dancers, a revolution spearheaded by Michael Jackson.
Today, most artists know that being popular is not a matter of having the greatest skills or talents but working hard to improve them and market themselves in the mainstream media. Michael Jackson influenced artists who would follow him on how effort is needed for success. Being a great pop artist is not all about having a great talent but going through the pain barrier to ensure your art is optimized (Fhlainn 90).
As an artist, you also need to be able to sell and generate controversies, as Michael Jackson did from 1990 to his death in 2009. The impacts of controversies on a dancer or a musician were demonstrated after the pop artist passed on, and his videos and moves became more popular than they were before. Early in the 2010’s kids could be found everywhere trying to imitate Jackson’s moonwalk skills, and his music videos were played more on television. Further, Michael Jackson introduced that mass choreography that has been imitated popular in music videos, a good example being Run the world by Beyonce (Henry 4). Jackson also played a role in the dancing industry by combining the east costs moves with those of their western counterparts.
Influence on Fashion
Michael Jackson had a big influence on how people dress. Initially, the media did not pay attention to his dress. However, as his fame continued to skyrocket and everything associated with him became more controversial, Jackson’s dress code was put into the limelight (Fhlainn 91). He took advantage of the opportunity and ensured that every cloth he put on for a public event communicated a particular message. The dress code also enabled him to perform better and comprised of wear that improved his performances. The shoes facilitated his moonwalks, while the socks that Michael put on brought attention to his moves. His styles, from military-style dressing to one-glove shows, are widely imitated by fellow musicians and fans. Today’s top pop culture artists, such as Beyonce, Kanye West, Rihanna, and Jay Z, should thank Michael Jackson for his contribution and influence on their dressing styles.
Michael Jackson always demonstrated a rebellious personality, which his Moto Jacket highlighted. Jackson first displayed the Jacket in 1987 in his hit song Bad. The motor Jacket was a departure from his previous all-white dress code and was received with mixed reactions by different commentators. Today’s motocross fashion design is an imitation of Jackson’s Moto Jackets. The jackets have also become more common in regular people’s wardrobes compared to 1987.
Some labels closely related to motor jackets include; Maison Margiela and Supreme (Fhlainn 91). Another signature outfit of Michael Jackson that helped him stand out and has been widely copied in today’s pop culture is the Fedora. The Fedora look was popularized in 1988 when Jackson released the “smooth criminal” music video (Martin, 286). Today, the streets are full of youths wearing modified versions of the Fedora.
Revolutionized Music Videos
Before Michael Jackson hit the scenes, artists did not put much emphasis on music videos, and the budgets allocated for the videos were usually low. Michael Jackson, being the transformative artist he was, wanted to convey messages using his music videos (Shaffer 24). His music videos were not limited to just dancing and were often, at times, modified versions of short films with a clear message. In his hit song Billie Jean, Michael Jackson combined audio with video to convey that he did not sexually abuse children (Shaffer 24).
Although this song had a big production budget, it also resulted in significant album sales, proving to artists that producing quality art could result in more profitability. In Thriller, Michael Jackson showed they would say that musical art could be pushed even further through choreography combined with creative animations and dressing (Shaffer 25). Jackson also played a key role in the fight against race discrimination using the video in his song Bad. Through creative editing, Jackson revealed how a handsome-looking man was viewed as a monster in American society.
He Received Numerous Awards and Nominations
Michael Jackson is one of the most decorated artists in pop culture, proving that he was indeed the King of Pop. Jackson received a total of 13 Grammy awards and held the record for most Grammy awards received in one night, 8 (Henry 6). He is also heavily decorated with other awards such as American music awards, Brit rewards, and Grammy legend. The Guinness book of world records recognizes Jackson as the world’s greatest artist and entertainer and has awarded him a total of 20 Guinness World Records. A notable record that stands today is that of having the most sales of an album; Thriller. Michael Jackson was the first and only music recorder to be inducted into the national museum of Dance and Hall of fame in New York. The superstar also has been inducted into other Fames, including Songwriters all of fame and Rock and Roll all of fame. He is the only entertainer to hold two stars in the same Hall of Fame category.
Former president George H.W. Bush had the honor to announce Michael Jackson as the musician of the decade starting in 1981 and ending in 1990. In addition, the pop artists also received accolades from other administrations, including a White House honor during the reign of Ronald Reagan. Michael Jackson also received rewards for his charitable character, being recognized as the light ambassador. When Michael Jackson died, the U.S. house of representatives called for a moment of silence in memory of the pop star demonstrating just how successful and influential he had become (Martin 284). These are just a few of the honors received at the pop start, as it would be impossible to state all in an essay. Today’s upcoming pop artists can only wish they could receive half of the rewards and accolades that Michael Got in his career. His achievements still have a big influence on how artists run their businesses despite the fact that Michael Jackson is now dead.
He Influenced Race
Before Michael Jackson released his music video Billie Jean, it was rare for a black artist to be featured on MTV. The management of the T.V. channel said that the black artist’s songs were not “Rock enough” to be featured there. However, Michael Jackson broke the race barrier first with the above-mentioned Billie Jean and later with his best-selling album Thriller (Henry 4). African-American Artists who followed Michael Jackson should thank him for doing the hard part of making a way into avenues that black artists had not ventured into before. His art brought racial harmony as he communicated through pop music and videos that African-Americans are people and should be treated with justice and fairness.
Additionally, Michael broke the barrier for musicians to express racial concerns in their videos freely. According to Child, Michael Jackson demonstrated fearlessness in the video by using a zombie to show that Africans, who were viewed as monsters, were caring people (Child 42). Due to the number of people who have watched the video to date, it would only be accurate to speculate that the video has greatly impacted the world.
Impact on Visual Arts and Sculptures
Many contemporary visual artists have taken their time to make visual depictions of Michael, further promoting his influence on the world and proving how iconic he was. The London Portrait Gallery 2018 opened an exposition wall dedicated to showing image depictions of Michael drawn by different artists. Some scholars have argued that Michael Jackson is the most depicted musician in history. In addition to image depictions, Michael Jackson’s images have been displayed using sculptures erected in different parts of the world (McCauley 1). One popular statue of Michael Jackson is found in China and has been branded as the Guangzhou sculpture. Other sculptures exist in different parts of the world, including Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Hong Kong, and the U.S. (McCauley 3). The images and sculptures have contributed more to making Michael Jackson the popular figure he is today after his death.
He Introduced a Global Culture
Before Michael Jackson became a famous public figure, there was nothing like a common global culture. Music and associated events were mostly limited to a particular region. In 1980, when Michael’s popularity began to become global, the world started to change, and globalization started to happen. Media instruments like televisions, radios, and magazines dedicated to only pop culture had started to dominate the airwaves.
At this time, it was not uncommon for these media instruments to display videos and photos of Michael and his group performing their musical art in their normal dress code. Studies have shown that children are the most likely to be influenced by media and advertisements (Liu-Thompkins 6). In Michaels’s case, this was true as young people who interacted with Michael Jackson’s video tried to imitate him. The number of youths who tried to dress, dance, or attempt to sing like Michael was as large as had ever been seen. Even more interesting was the diversity of the imitators since they came from all corners of the universe.
He Revealed that Celebrities could be Popular even After Death
Michael Jackson proved that music is something greater than life and can continue to impact the world even after the artist’s death greatly. This revelation had been revealed in other arts like writing books where an author could have a significant impact when they had died. This had been witnessed in the music industry to a lesser degree, but Michel pushed the boundaries on the degree of impact an artist can have. Ten years have passed since Michael died, and he has already become the all-time leading dead musician in album sales (Ostaszewska 32). Today popular culture artists do their work with an inspiration that could have an impact even after their death, thanks to the precedent set by Michael.
Conclusion
Michael Jackson is such an iconic and influential figure in pop culture not only because of his dancing and singing abilities but also because he influenced people’s values. He bridged the gap between popular culture and high culture by being involved in charitable events and meeting with presidents. Likewise, Jackson improved the view of people towards black men by making it normal for people to see a black man’s face on MTV.
His influence in reducing racial gaps was enormous as he also used his well-choreographed music videos to explain that African-Americans were not monsters the society was depicting them to be. Jackson’s talents improved and revolutionized dancing, and almost all artists today are influenced by his dancing styles. He also perfected the art of storytelling using music videos, especially in Thriller and Billie Jean. Many artists today still follow his lead when producing their music videos. As an African-American with European roots, Michael Jackson truly lived the American Dream.
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