It’s with great sadness that we learnt of Michael Jackson’s untimely passing at the age of 50. Even more sad is the fact that he was due for a spectacular series of comeback shows in London in just two weeks. Michael’s contribution to music, and pop culture in general, is immeasurable. A true icon of his time.
An interesting fact is that practically every hip-hop, R&B, pop and even electronic music artist counts Jackson as a major influence. While it’s quite obvious that he produced his greatest music in the late 1960’s (as part of the Jackson 5) through to the mid 1980’s, his music lives on in the DNA of a whole new wave of musical styles. Looking at his and the Jackson 5‘s pages on WhoSampled, it’s just astonishing to see how long and varied the list is. From leading hip-hop artists such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nas, 2Pac, Ghostface Killah, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, LL Cool J, De La Soul and MURS, via pop giants such as Rihanna and through to electronic music heavyweights The Prodigy, it seems like everyone wants a little bit of Michael magic in their music too.
We cannot think of a better way to pay respect to the man and his work than make sure that his everlasting contribution to contemporary music is discovered and appreciated. Michael may no longer be with us, but we just know that his and the Jackson 5‘s pages on WhoSampled will just keep on expanding, meaning that his magic keeps on pumping in the veins of new music for decades to come.
May he rest in peace.
Stirring blog post. Here’s my pick of Michael’s best influences on hip hop:
http://songweave.com/top-ten-hip-hop-songs-that-sample-michael-jackson/