5. Omarion
Besides starting their careers before they reached Roller-coaster height, O and MJ have always placed special attention on their two-stepping tricks. To make up for callow vocals, Omarion relies heavily on impressive mini-Mike impersonations. However, while he breaks a sweat straining for the attention of an older audience, Michael transitions seamlessly within a fan base ranging from 6 to 60. Note to Omarion -- being just a PYT doesn’t always cut it.
4. Chris Brown
Let’s be honest: Chris Brown is Michael Jackson on crack – a red-bulled, back-flipping, screen-cheesin’ Michael Jackson. From music videos to live performances, C. Breezy never fails to throw in a tribute to his idol. For a young’n in the game, it’s a smart move that’s done him well. All that’s left now is crossing the border of obsession to transgression.
3. Ne-Yo
Three words: Because of You. The draping harmonies, the tilted fedora, the pelvic thrust, it’s blatantly clear who Ne-Yo’s main influence is. While others stick to pure imitation, Ne-Yo opts to explore the middle ground between himself and Jacko. The results have proven to be effective, separating Ne-Yo from the duplicators. When MJ’s requesting your contribution to his album, you know hours of perfecting Beat It adlibs has truly paid off.
2. Justin Timberlake
Reppin’ the lighter side of MJ fever, Justin’s Future Sex/Love Sounds blessed him with six top twenty hits from a single album, a feat only achieved once by Jackson himself. With sweet soprano drawls and fancy fly footwork soaked with Jacko’s juice, Justin has led the most identical career to that of his inspiration. The former boy-band front man turned international sex god has showed no limits in his like for Mike. If MJ himself hasn’t noticed, Janet certainly has.
1. Usher
As arguably the father of our generation's pop princes, it’s only right that Usher be deemed the son of King Jackson. With about 40 million albums sold worldwide, Ursh has successfully converted the hype of MJ fame into a grandiose self-made empire. During the Confessions craze of ‘04, some even double-dared to say that Usher had replaced Michael as the greatest entertainer of all time. With a collabo due out later this year, father and son will put history to the test and raise the bar of pop notoriety. Copy that.
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Comments
1.
spirited2008 says:
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Hey let's not forget that no one but Michael has ever had 6 number 1 single from one album(Bad). And he has been the only recording artist to win eight Grammy's in a single year, and still holds that record. So those 5 guys maybe talented but they will never reach the pinnacle of success that Michael has reached. And I do believe that Michael was the first and only artist to my knowledge to spend a total of 33 & half weeks at number 1 on the pop album chart(Thriller). So as I was saying these 5 maybe talented but they will never be Michael Jackson, because there only be one.
June 3, 2008 at 1:46 pm
2.
juicyfruit says:
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Couldn't have said it better myself! EVERYBODY nowadays gotta little MJ DNA. Can the man breathe? Moroever, well written Tracy. Super insightful.Glad to see you making moves. Vibe, y'all better hold onto this one.
February 20, 2008 at 10:56 pm
3.
queenb131 says:
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feelin the article, very well written. mike is the greatest, period. although those 5 are talented, all 5 are yet to touch the achievements of michael, & i simply doubt that they'll be able to. call me cynical, but the newbies simply don't move me like michael moved a generation. o well, it is big shoes to fill, what can u do?
February 20, 2008 at 6:34 pm
4.
damonwill78 says:
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Correction-- You said "Justin’s Future Sex/Love Sounds blessed him with six top twenty hits from a single album, a feat only achieved once by Jackson himself" Janet Jackson actually had seven top ten singles from her Rythym Nation Album. A feat which no one else has accomplished since.
February 20, 2008 at 10:25 am
5.
laDy_rEdBonE says:
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w0w!!..vErY iMpReSs!vE....I aM a HuGe fAn 0f tHeM alL...kEeP d0!n yAlL tHanG!!! mUaH
February 18, 2008 at 11:01 am
6.
EnticingEyes says:
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An eloquently written article that builds the bridge between one of our most primitive and influential entertainers and the up and coming hip generation that has their non-stop hits on full rotation on every hip hop station and i-pod. It was a GREAT read!
February 16, 2008 at 12:52 am