The Greatest Entertainer Ever To Live
Sunday, I posted ?uestlove’s argument that Beyonce is the next MJ. Needless to say, myself and MANY others disagreed. If you are just joining us you can read ?uesto’s full argument on my previous blog here:
http://windimoto.com/scorpeze-blog/?p=456
Good people, I want to be brief but the fact is to comprehend MJ is a huge undertaking. Though Mr. Thompson had some interesting points, his claim is poorly thought out and completely without merit.
First off, let me say that there are certain facts about Mrs. Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter than cannot be disputed.
A) She is talented.
B) She can sing.
C) She can dance.
D) She has star quality.
E) She is a beautiful woman.
That being said, there are definitely parallels between Mrs. Knowles and Michael Joseph Jackson:
A) They both have been entertainers since they were children
B) They are both driven to be the best in their field
C) They have reaped great success in the entertainment industry
D) They are both Virgos–thus hard workers and shy people that come alive on stage
E) They both came from groups that they inevitably outgrew
F) They both-because of growing up in the entertainment industry-have somewhat stunted social development
G) They have overbearing fathers who guided their careers.
H) They both bammas
I) They Black
…and that’s where the comparisons stop.
When Berry Gordy stood before the world at MJ’s memorial and finally said out loud what the world already knew but for numerous reasons could not bring itself to freely admit–that Michael Jackson is the greatest entertainer to ever live–NO ONE could offer an argument to the contrary…because there is no argument to the contrary.
There is a point when you are no longer great, but legendary…where you are no longer legendary, but an icon…where you are no longer an icon but the Gold Standard by which all others are measured…MJ reached that level….
MJ didnt just “change the game”, he obliterated the old game and put a new one in its place.
This may sound like hyperbole, but the facts speak for themselves.
No one has sold as many records as MJ. Period. But record sales are only a piece of this pie. Yes, Thriller had a lot of serendipity going for it, but the pieces had been put into place a long time before that…
At the age of FIVE YEARS OLD, MJ was already on a level that he relieved his older brother Jermaine of his lead singer position in the Jackson 5. Grown men refused to play on a bill with him. He was a seasoned enough entertainer that his competition in talent shows swore that he was not a child, but an adult midget (true story). A child had professional adult entertainers shook. Bear in mind, this was the 60’s, where you couldnt lipsynch, use auto-tune, or prerecorded tracks. If you didnt have the goods, you were forced to leave the stage, cute kid or not. The Jackson 5 won EVERY talent show they entered.
Another true story. At the age of THREE YEARS OLD, MJ sang Climb Ev’ry Mountain in school one day. His teacher wept.
Etta James told this story to MJ biographer J. Randy Taraborelli. She said that one night on a tour stop in the Midwest, she noticed a little boy hanging around her dressing room before showtime. She was trying to prepare for the show and the kid was distracting her. She marched up to the kid and told him to get lost. The kid scrambled away. Later, after her set, the boy appeared at her dressing room door. She asked him “What do you want, kid?” The boy replied, “Miss James, my father told me to come and apologize for bothering you earlier. I didn’t meant to, its just that you’re so good. I just want to know how you do it…” Etta had a change of heart and invited the boy in for some pointers. She remembers (in a self-congratulatory way) thinking to herself after the boy had gone, “One day, that boy is going to be the best…because he wants to learn from the best…”.
Mind you, this is going on before Motown ever knew The Jackson 5 existed. The rest, as they say, is history.
There are artists that we enjoy, and then there are artists that we FEEL. They give us pause. They make us consider things. They make us sit up and pay attention, and what they do and say stays with us long after the show is over or the record stops.
I’ve always said that you can divide entertainers into 2 categories: Artists and Acts.
Acts wants your attention and praise. They use whatever talent they may have to gain your favor. It doesnt matter to them how they do it. You pay them and clap for them and they are satisfied.
Artists also wants your attention and praise, but the difference is that an artist feels duty bound to share their gifts. They perform in service of the audience. They feel compelled to connect with their audience, to give a voice to whatever you in the audience may be thinking or feeling. At other times, an artist has something to say that they feel everyone should hear. An artist has purpose and integrity.
Michael Jackson felt duty bound to right the wrongs of the world. He wanted people to stop hurting each other and start loving each other more. It was this message of love that was the foundation of his music and performances until his last day on Earth.
Michael Jackson is an artist. At the age of 18, he pleaded with us to come together in songs like Show You The Way To Go, Living Together, Dreamer, and Strength of One Man. He continued on with a constant message.
-Man of War
-Can You Feel It
-We Are The World
-Earth Song
-They Dont Care About Us
-Beat It
-Heal The World
-Bless His Soul
-Man In The Mirror
-Keep The Faith
-On The Line (which was the theme song to the only film that I know of about the Million Man March)
if you wanna talk empowerment, he said:
“Lift your head up high and scream out to the world
I know I am someone, so let the truth unfurl
No one can hurt you now cause you know its true
Yes, I believe in me, so you believe in you
Help me sang it
Sing to the world, sing it out loud”
He wrote that when he was 21.
Lots of people write inspirational songs, mattafact there’s a whole sub-genre of music dedicated to just that, but when MJ sang people listened…people in all corners of the globe.
While it may seem that Im just retreading old shit…I remind you that we are talking about someone who is being talked about as the “next” one of this caliber, so I think its important to realize what caliber we taumbout here….
We taumbout a cat who inspired the world to stop and not only realize the plight of Africa, but help…you had kids sending in allowances, and Mr. Joe Six Pack writing a check for famine relief….These days that type of widescale philanthropy is commonplace…
We’re taumbout a cat that made grown men cry during and after his life (I’ve seen it). A person who has little children demanding that their parents buy them his music AFTER his death.
MJ changed the way Black men approached singing. How many baritones are there in R&B these days? These days a little white kid is just as likely to start singing in an R&B style than forming a rock band because of MJ.
MJ wrote songs that are part of the permanent fiber of global culture.
MJ made Fred Astaire bow down.
Even MJ’s hero, the notoriously egocentric genius and architect of modern Black music, James Brown insisted that even though MJ had learned from him that MJ was an original.
To this day, people are still trying to discover what made MJ tick.
MJ survived a scandal that would have obliterated anyone else’s career-TWICE. After 8 years of creative silence, then man announced that he was back and instantly sold out the same arena 50 times over.
This is the man we are talking about here. This is the entertainer we are talking about. This is the artist we are talking about.
And who is Questo proclaiming to be his rightful successor?
Beyonce.
Beyonce?
For all the talent, charisma, success, and work ethic that Beyonce has, let’s be really damn real.
She aint fuckin with MJ.
She may be one of the many entertainers in the mold of MJ, but the “NEXT” MJ?
How so? Because there are some similarities in their careers? That aint enough…
Let take the visual out of the equation.
let’s sit MJ’s catalogue next to Beyonce’s….that’s not even fair…
What is the criteria? Beyonce’s songwriting? Aight, let’s look at that….
on persistent suitors:
MJ – “She comes to the door/crying at my feet/Guilt shines in her eyes/as she slowly sinks in deep/You know our love couldnt last forever/persuade your way/but you aint clever/ I close the door and I say never….”
Yonce – “So what/you bought a pair a shoes/what now I guess you think I owe you/you dont have to call as much as you do/Id give em back to be through with you/so what/my mama likes you…”
on self-empowerment:
MJ – “And when you think of trust/Does it lead you home?/To a place/that you only dream of/When you’re all alone/And you can go by feel/’Stead of circumstance/But the power’s in believing/So give yourself a chance…”
Yonce – “the shoes on my feet/I bought it/the clothes I’m wearing/I bought it/the rock Im rockin/I bought it/cuz I depend on me/if I want it/the watch Im wearin/I bought it/the house I live in/I bought it/the car Im drivin/I bought it/cuz I depend on me…”
on a broken heart:
MJ – “and it doesnt seems to matter/and it doesnt seems right/cuz the will has brought no fortune/still I cry alone at night/dont you judge of my composure/cuz Im bothered everyday/and she didnt leave a letter/she just up and ran away…”
Yonce – “Now that it’s over/Stop calling me/Come pick up your clothes/Ain’t no need to front like you’re still with me/All your homies know/Even your very best friend/Tried to warn me on the low/It took me some time/But now I am strong…”
I think we can see that we’re not dealing with the same caliber of songwriter…Also let me point out, that songwriting and producing actual music is one of the things that MJ was known for (if the word “Quincy” enters your mind, go see my “In Memoriam Part 1″ blog, then rejoin us here). it is common knowledge now that if you want a track on a Yonce album you are REQUIRED to give her a writing AND production credit–whether she did any work or not. Tsk Tsk, mayne. Okay, we know that she’s written lyrics before. Schmoove. But sometimes she doesnt when the credits say otherwise. See If I Was A Boy.
But Beyonce aint twisted knob the first, or arranged a string session, or worked out chords with musicians. Mike has. Kenny Gamble told CBS in 1977 that Mike and his broze didnt need a babysitter in the studio anymore.
Vocally? *looks at the camera*. I’ve only heard B sing ONE song with any kind of believable emotion (the latter song quoted above). Yonce fans, feel free to point me in the direction of any other song by her that moves you emotionally (please say Get Me Bodied). Meanwhile, Mike made HIMSELF cry every time he sang She’s Out Of My Life. EVERY time. Its one thing to sing well, its another thing to make people feel…
Videos? Mike damn near invented the video. I challenge you to make it all the way through this:
Like I was saying…what other criteria are we judging on, Mr. Thompson?
Record sales? Popularity? The scales are not coming anywhere close to balancing with those factors on the table…MJ’s weakest selling album ran 10 million out the gate with little promotion and one video.
Dancing? Again, Fred Astaire, James Brown, and every kid that dances professionally now cites MJ as an inspiration. He created his own dance vocabulary, his moves are studied. Even K-Fed said that the greatest moment in his life was dancing for MJ. Beyonce’s choreographer left her tour to audition for This Is It. Not for a job, to audition. Yes, MJ learned from the best but in the end when you bust certain moves people know automatically who you are mimicking. Yes, Yonce had her Single Ladies moment and everyone wanted to learn the steps but the same thing happened with the Achy Breaky Heart, The Macarena, and MC Hammer’s Chinese Typewriter. Do the Single Ladies dance 10 years from now at a party if you want. People are still doing Thriller–27 years later. Let someone accurately dance like MJ and a crowd gathers…
Is Beyonce the biggest pop star in the world right now? Yes. has she been successful for a while now? Yes. But she’s hardly alone in wearing that distinction.
Lastly, let’s talk about influence. MJ has inspired millions of people to better themselves, care about others, be ecologically responsible (long before it was hip to be “green”…BTW, MJ was a vegetarian back when fast food still tasted good), be the best they can be, follow their dreams, and take pride in being different. He has personally mentored actors, athletes, emcees, choreographers, filmmakers, authors, activists, singers, musicians, entrepreneurs, doctors, etc…both young and old.
What is Yonce’s influence? Inspiring insecure women to shake their asses half naked in a room full of strangers? Who is she inspiring and what is she inspiring them to do? To wear as little clothing as possible? Throwing your man out of the house? Emotionally blackmailing him to marry you? (the less I say about Yonce’s relationship, the better) To writhe around on the floor and spread your legs? To drive around in the Pussy Wagon???
Warning: Opinion ahead.
I absolutely fucking cringe when I hear someone suggest that Yonce is a role model that young women should be emulating. In the last decade, she has gone from suggestive to risque to desperate. What would happen if she put her legs, ass, and titties away? Would we be still be having this conversation about her artistic merit? Sweet Lawd, WHEN will women learn the difference btwn taking ownership of their sexuality and exploiting themselves?
A large part of Yonce’s appeal is that she makes records out of women’s sillier fantasies.
-Kitty Kat: I’ll withhold pussy from you if you dont give me the amount of attention I want
-Irreplaceable: I’ll kick you out the crib and you wont have a word to say about it. Oh yeah, Im going to further provoke you by inviting another dude over here in the middle of a hostile situation
-Freakum Dress: Im feeling insecure about my relationship, so instead of talking to my man…Im going to the club in the sluttiest clothes I can find…that’ll teach his ass
-Single Ladies: if you dont propose to me, Im going to go out to the club make a spectacle of myself
This is some real mature shit here *sarcasm*. the list goes on…ladies, you can follow this advice if you want to and see how far it gets you…Sadly, alot of girls and grown women think that they can pull this type of shit off because they saw Beyonce do it in a video. Trust me, I’ve seen it…
What they fail to realize is that Beyonce can make up fantasies about what its like to deal with men because she’s Beyonce. She’s spent the majority of her life on stage or under the watchful eye of her dad. If there’s one parallel btwn Yonce and MJ that stands out, you can bet your ass that the lack of a social life is one of the most prevalent. Solange can get pregnant at 17, but there was no FUCKING way Matt and Tina would have let Yonce get that far out of their eyesight for that to happen…
Just for comparison, here’s some MJ fantasies: He goes around fighting evil, protecting the world, and saving people from getting hurt…oh yeah, he turned into a zombie once…
Aint no way that Yonce, in her current incarnation, should be held up as an example…You can say what you want abt MJ and his various controversies, but when have you seen him advocating acting a motherfuckin fool?
Lemme wrap this shit up, B.
Beyonce is successful performer. Lots of people love her. MJ is a global cultural institution. A musical genius. One of the greatest vocalists of our time. One of the best dancers in history. An innovator in the field of music. A trailblazer that changed how the music industry works. A humanitarian. An inspiration. A hero. He left the world and broke the damn internet…
He is simply, the greatest entertainer ever to live. (c) Berry Gordy
Beyonce got a long way to go before she can event think about climbing that mountain.
Aint no next. There was only one.
Sorry, Ahmir.
“Aint no way that Yonce, in her current incarnation, should be held up as an example…You can say what you want abt MJ and his various controversies, but when have you seen him advocating acting a motherfuckin fool?”
LOL I love this.
Church, mosque, tabernacle, synagogue, et al
To quote Phonte…
“Church, mosque, tabernacle, synagogue, et al”
I normally agree w/ Quest’s music tweets, but this one was a little outta left field.
I always find it difficult to choose between Michael Jackson & Stevie Wonder…damn if this piece didn’t make it a tad bit easier. Then again, Stevie is blind.
Great ARTICLE!
I was pissed when I saw what Quest posted. So I wondered, “How much is Matthew Knowles paying him to say that”? Beyonce’s stans (mostly made up of hoodrats, diva hoochie girls, gay dudes and Tyra Banks) are borderline psycho. They even nicknamed her “Beysus Christ”. Um…yeah. Blasphemy at its finest. I personally can’t stand Beyonce. Her music is terrible and juvenile, her albums got low ratings but SOMEHOW she got a shitload of Grammys. She swears she will be a legend when a real legend does not even have to “look” to be a legend. Then she gonna go and dog the Jackson family saying that they used to be “poor and dysfunctional”. Yes, there is some truth to that but it was not her damn place to say anything. She said the same thing about Lauryn Hill, another musical genius. She said that she will never “loose herself like Lauryn Hill”. Um, Beyonce is lost. She’s the one who sold her fickle soul for fame. At least Lauryn Hill made history and got out the industry after realizing all of that fame was poisonous to her soul! What makes me avoid Beyonce even more is her crazy stans. NO ONE can say different about Beyonce without those hobgoblins jumping out the woodwork and calling someone a “hater”. You can’t even say, “Oh I don’t like Beyonce’s dress”. Then here comes her stans spewing their psychotic venom, “OMG! YOUS A HATERRRRRRRRR!!!!1111″
The music industry is a piece of shit in the toilet.
You forgot to drop the mic & walk off the stage!!!
Well said sir!
I could pored over the keyboard for a thousand years and never put this nearly as eloquently.
“What would happen if she put her legs, ass, and titties away? Would we be still be having this conversation about her artistic merit? ”
Genius. Whenever I talk about her, people think I hate her, and I don’t. Pretty girl, pretty voice, I get it. I just think we’re a little too liberal with the GOAT title these days.
So much truth all up in through that. I’ve realized that Quest is her friend. It goes beyond hobnobbing at events, they must be friends for real. That’s the only thing I can come up with. Kanye embarrassed himself and hurt his career, declaring that a video with 3 chicks dancing to recycled Bob Fosse choreography was the best video ever. This is Questo’s “Imma let you finish”. Being close with someone, tends to put rose colored glasses on you.
EVERY word you’ve ever written on Mike or the game are on point. Much love.
U pretty much sold me with the lyrics:
i.e. :
on self-empowerment:
MJ – “And when you think of trust/Does it lead you home?/To a place/that you only dream of/When you’re all alone/And you can go by feel/’Stead of circumstance/But the power’s in believing/So give yourself a chance…”
Yonce – “the shoes on my feet/I bought it/the clothes I’m wearing/I bought it/the rock Im rockin/I bought it/cuz I depend on me/if I want it/the watch Im wearin/I bought it/the house I live in/I bought it/the car Im drivin/I bought it/cuz I depend on me…”
And I love Beyonce…but that’s pretty much it in a nutshell.
All I can say is, it’s about time somebody laid it out in full. Good stuff.
Tell ‘em why you mad, son!
But yeah, saying The Yonce is the next MJ is like saying Mariah Carey is the next MJ. Hell, Madonna had an impact closer to Jacko than either one of them.
I don’t usually comment on blogs, but I just had to drop by and say that this is one of the greatest articles I’ve ever read. You really did Michael justice here.
From one blogger to another, I wish I wrote this incredible piece you’ve presented. I don’t think I could have said it better. There’s no way you can compare the two. I respect Beyonce but to put her in the same line with MJ……you can’t do it. There’s a big difference between popularity and impact. MJ had both. Also, if you compare the two, which of Beyonce’s albums could stand against the classic “Thriller”? Having “Thriller” in your household was like having toilet paper……it was and is a necessity – plus that album was added to the Library of Congress!!! Not to mention the “record breaking” 250 mil deal just inked by his estate. Great job and great post!! Keep ‘em coming!!!
I definitely don’t think that anyone can be the next MJ. That was it, folks. There is no mold to fit into…he broke it when he passed on.
But all the hate on Beyonce? I don’t buy it. I’m not a fan of how the music industry spits out robotic replications of money makers….BUT- Beyonce is an incredible entertainer. …
You win the internet, good sir. I agree so hard with this entire post.
This is pretty awesome. I MIGHT have gotten a tad more specific about all the records MJ broke that Beyonce hasn’t even come near, and won’t in her lifetime. How many Guinness Book World Records she got? MJ has like, dozens.
AND, the man invented and patented his own shoe device so he could perform a lean on stage.
He gave over half of his wealth earned in the entirety of his life to charitable causes. I challenge any one of these dime a dozen singers out here to compare themselves to someone who was an original out of the box. From birth.
To be fair, B never compared herself, she has professed her love and devotion to M all over the place, and I think she’s a less harmful than a bunch of these other chick’s out there shaking their asses and being downright nasty (spears comes to mind, uck). But, she needs to school Quest. There is no replacement for MJ.
That’s it people. Show’s over. Nothing else to see here.
In the words of the Great American Negro Poet, Sir Randall Jackson: “You didja thing, Dawg”
I like beyonce but you couldn’t have said it better. No one will ever come close to MJ—he could do it all and had he lived, movies would have been next.
yo Scorpeze…
i just want to be your friend
can i be your friend? lol … for real, you need a much wider platform, my dude.
this is golden.
Fail. It’s So Funny how u failed to put the deeper songs in there.
First of all it’s so funny how u only named singles when mentioning beyonce songs.
Beyonce has songs about many issues:
Child abuse: The Story Of Beauty
Survival: Survivor, Me, Myself, & I(which can mean more than what the actual situation is speaking of), Save The Hero
Stand Up For Love
Happy Face
Bridges
Forever To Bleed
i can go on and on for days…..don’t try to downgrade beyonce to uplift MJ, if he’s so great you wouldn’t have to.
Beyonce has written, Arranged, and produced vocals. She can’t play instruments or anything, but the woman can basically create a beat with her voice, all she does is get people to play what she sings. That’s Just as creative as anyone else.
Beyonce Likes to Empower Woman. What’s So Bad About that? Independent Women Had women and some men all over the world Feeling inspired.
Survivor Did the same. Single Ladies Was A Cultural Phenom. It’s so Funny how someone said single ladies was recycled, but last time I Checked, The Thriller Video nor the moonwalk were Completely original either. So does that make Mike Less of an artist? No. So why does matter when it’s Beyonce? The First African American Woman to Win Ascap’s Pop Songwriter Of The Year at the age of 19. She’s Made History with her group and as a solo artist. No One’s gonna sell the same amount as michael did back in the day, cuz times have changed. I think you people are just haters on beyonce period. It doesn’t matter what she does, ya’ll will never give her her fuckin credit.
oh and one more thing with the lyrics:
Self Empowerment:
“I’m A Survivor, I’m Not Gon’ Give up, I’m Not Gon’ Stop, I’m Gonna Work Harder, I’m A Survivor, I’m Gonna Make it, I Will Survive, Keep On Survivin’….”
“Me, Myself, & I, That’s All I got in the end, that’s what i found out, and it ain’t no need to cry, I took a vow, that from now on, I’ma be my own best friend….”
“I Woke up this morning, the sunshine was shining, I put on my happy face, I’m Living, I’m Able, I’m Breathing, I’m Greatful, To Put On My Happy Face…”
On A Broken Heart:
“…People told me ’bout the flames, i couldn’t see through the smoke, when i need answered accusations, what you mean you gone choke….”
or
“….You could shed so many tears
But you won’t let me see you crying
If she really loves ya
Than that’s what ya need to build
I’m more than yo woman
I know you don’t love her
I painted it for ya
But you picked the colors
At night you’ll get over
Yea, like you will never ..”
I can go on and on with more of beyonce’s lyrics the author of this article is just a biased ass hater trying to discredit everything beyonce’s worked her ass off for.
I’d advise you to pull your head from Michael’s dead ass. THEN think.
Thank you for making your points, I like Bey but she has not reached that level yet. She comes off as too safe (Mike did the same thing too at one point in his life) and I love the song (I’m still confused about the video) “Telephone” but she did not convince me of her bad girl image in the video.
She has a lot of years ahead of her to prove herself and I’m willing to see if she’ll do something different.
Please Don’t Act like beyonce isn’t in the guiness book of world records:
-Beyonce Is The First American Solo Artist Period To Have Her Single & Album Debut @ #1 in the United States and In The United Kingdom Simultaneously.(Not Even MJ Did That).
-According To Guiness She’s The Lead Singer Of The Biggest Selling Female Group Of ALL TIME.
-She’s The ONLY Artist In The History Of Billboard To Have a Single Spend More Than Ten Weeks @ #1 on The Billboard Hot 100 With A Group And As A solo Artist.
-Destiny’s Child is The Only American All Female Band To have More than 1 #1 Single In The UK as well as numerous other countries.
-Destiny’s Child Has The Longest Running #1 Single By a All Girl Group In History w/ “Independent Women Part 1″ 11 Consecutive Weeks @ #1.
-She’s The First African American Woman & The Youngest Woman Ever To Win Ascap’s Pop Songwriter of The Year Award at the age of 19. (She’s Won This Award 3 Times So Far).
-She Holds The Record for the most weeks spent @ #1 In A Calendar Year by A Female Solo Artist On The Billboard Hot 100 for 17 Weeks.
-She’s The Youngest Artist To Be Awarded The Legend Award From The World Music Awards.
-The Most Grammy’s Won By A Female In One Night.
-Female Artist Of The Decade By Billboard
-RIAA’s Top Artist Of The Decade
-France Artist Of The Decade
That’s Not Even all of her records she holds this just off the top of my head….Stop trying to discredit beyonce’s accomplishments as if she hasn’t set records, started trends, and hasn’t inspired many many artist that have came after her. Many Artists, Even one’s that came before her, have said to be inspired by her. Please. Beyonce IS NOT a FAD. She’s going On Year 13 and Still Cranking out the hits.
I didn’t mention the Guinness Book of World Records. Did you read the whole post?
wow…you are so right…
When history and music teachers are discussing MJs legacy in classes around the world, we can be blessed to say that we lived and experienced it in this life!!!!
Many people just don’t know what a real LOSS it is! So thank you for your text and I hope that it will open the eyes of some of them…
Very well thought out, articulate, intelligent, and classy rebuttal, Male Beyonce Fan.
Thank you!
Can you give me the titles of the songs you think illustrate Beyonce’s songwriting ability?
I’ll check ‘em out to see if I there was something I overlooked.
Thanks in advance.
Everyone coming up here, presenting songs that Beyonce wrote know that they are lying so hard that even the keyboard can tell. Beyonce is not a songwriter. While I don’t doubt she may add a note or a line or two, but she’s NOT a songwriter in the least. She hasn’t been recognized for her songwriting ability ONCE. Why? Because she can’t and it’s a front. The only reason she gets her name on any of the credits is because there’s money to had in royalties. Her father knows this and makes sure she does. How many times have songwriters and producers have come out and complained about it.
MJ, at least, credited all the people who co-wrote his songs. He was not quiet about it AND he wrote his own songs as well as arrange and compose them.
Either way, even if she didn’t it doesn’t make her less of an artist. She’s a vocalist and she works really hard. Is she on the same level as MJ? NO. She greatly admires him as she has professed and people need to stop comparing them. MJ is gone and the next time ANYONE is going to be able to fill his shoes will be in a couple of hundred of years when we’re all gone.
*STANDING OVATION*
To compare MJ to beyonce is straight up foolishness. And to her stans who have weaseled in here to defend her “songwriting,” stop it. You know damn well she doesn’t write music. Time after time, actual songwriters and producers have called her out on this. She doesn’t write, produce, or arrange music. I lost some respect for questlove on this.
“Either way, even if she didn’t it doesn’t make her less of an artist. She’s a vocalist and she works really hard.”
Exactly, we’re not taking credit away from her, she’s good in her own right. I think she can get better as she gets older but I wish people would stop this comparison shit when it comes to anyone.
I just had to comment that you did that. I love Beyonce, but…. like you said, there will never be another. Ever. EVAR!
A-fucking-men.
I think it is important to point out, like the author did, that Beyonce is one talented young lady. I can’t take anything away from her success. She is the biggest superstar out today. And personally, I feel that Beyonce can do even more with her talent (yes, she is dumbing down for the masses.. but that is a story for another day). Girlfriends can sing, dance and entertain better than all these females out today.
But no one is on MJ’s level. In fact, Questlove did not even deserve such a well-thought out post. You just laugh and move on because no one who is serious would think that. And it is not a diss against Bey… but there are other artists/groups that are far more closer than her to MJ… Prince, Madonna, the Beatles, etc.. and as great as these acts are, they ain’t no MJ.
So, STANS, relax.. it is not a diss not to be on MJ’s level coz no one is.. and you too know this, mayne..
This is amazing. Thank you for this.
(But I have to point out that using a Lady Gaga video isn’t fair! I really love her and it’s more of her video than Beyonce’s, you know? Plus I thought it was a great video. Not anywhere near MJ of course, but still.)
wow scorpeze, this should be written for millions to view. Not just on your blog. We know the entire world mourned when mike passed on. This explains why better than anything I’ve read so far. Thanks for this. His passing was such a loss, people who didn’t even know they loved Mike were crying. This explains to them their reactions. He meant so much to the world. This EXPLAINS it. And I like Bey but she shouldn’t be compared to Mike. Everyone knows this.
Are you married? Because I think I love you. (ROTF LMAO…just kidding).
That was the best article or answer to the dumbest theory ever expressed about Michael Jackson.
Artist shouldn’t be looking to be the next MJ. Build your own damn mold. Blaze your own trail!
Prince and MJ were huge James Brown fans. You can see his influence in their overall musicianship but they both still used that create their own identities!
Stop trying to be someone else and create you’re damn style.
Musicians like MJ, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, etc. brought us music that made us feel they were singing about our love, pain, sorrow and anger.
Shit….I don’t care how good Maxwell and Neyo sounded, no one can every singing ‘Lady In My Life’ for me….No ONE!
Forget trying to rewrite history because it can’t be done.
There will never be another one.
It’s not the Olympics….and even so…Jesse Owens did 1st and will always be remembered that way.
It almost seems disrespectful that people are looking for replacements of our great heros.
Thankkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk u for this amazing post Scorpeze. You said it the best!! No one comes near Michael. No frekkin one. They could dream about it all they want. But they better not even voice their dreams, to avoid the laughs
Whoever disagrees with your post, defending Bey’s lame ass-saying some blasphemies about MJ, needs some extra brain cells. PRONTO! I feel bad for their souls
“MJ changed the way Black men approached singing. How many baritones are there in R&B these days?”
This is one of the few things that I actually DON’T like about MJ’s impact on music. To tell you the God-honest truth, I am sick to death of turning on the radio and hearing nothing but young boys. ‘Singers’ sounding like they haven’t even been through puberty yet, making songs about “making your BED ROCK”. PLEASE.
Aside from that, you’re right–nobody can come close to MJ’s status, and for someone to suggest otherwise is stupid. ?uestlove should spend more time making a Roots album that comes close to THINGS FALL APART (something he hasn’t been able to do for the past 11 years) instead of trying to justify the idea of Beyonce being the next MJ. If anything, Beyonce is the Black Teena Marie, vocalwise. It’s obvious that they both can sing very well, but they try WAY TOO HARD and it grates at times.
You really should send this out to ?uestlove and all the other people who feel she or anyone else is even that hot to be compared to him!! It’s not impossible to top what Beyonce did if she hadn’t started out in a group a lot of people probably wouldn’t be comparing her to him!!! Another thing Beyonce was a great entertainer, but Michael was more than that his music had meaning, he made fans all over the world faint, cry, and go nuts over him, he broke so many records, he is the reason African Americans are able to have their music played on MTV not only that but all three of Beyonce’s album can’t even match up to the sales of Thriller not to mention everything has already been done for Beyonce!!! Michael also has his own style he was creative, an innovator, artistic, original, he cared about the world, he even took so much of his time to find donor for a sick little boy and guess what because of Michael that little boy lived!!! I mean who do you know has done stuff like that? Michael even made songs about how much he cares about the world and they weren’t just for charities they were put on his albums meaning he didn’t wait for a disaster to happen to start making caring songs; he cared about the world 24/7!! Let’s just put it like this I have nieces and nephews whenever we are going somewhere they are always asking to listen to Michael Jackson and they know his dance moves. When I sing his songs they know exactly who it is if I sing a Beyonce, Chris Brown, or Ne-yo song they don’t even know their names, yet they hear their music all the time, but they are just now getting use to Michael and they already know who he is that say’s a lot!! I also know there are plenty of kids who know Beyonce, Usher, Chris Brown etc, but that’s because they are still relevant, but I wonder if 20-45 years from now if our grandchildren and so on will know who Beyonce, Usher, and Chris Brown are (they probably will if their parents are listening to them) and if they will be doing their dance moves just saying)!!!
Hey
Just wanted to add that I’m a Saudi fan of Michael Jackson. Here in the Middle East, we don’t have Beyonce’s fans/Gaga’s fans/Justin’s fans etc. People are fans of songs. period. So, no. Beyonce and her stans could take a seat and breathe. While with Michael, the case is totally different. I’ve read about tributes done to him in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates>>>just to name a few. Tributes are still being made to this day. And bear in mind that non-Arabic songs and performers are not usually popular among Arabs. People here tend to listen mostly to Arabic music. But the case was different with Mike.
I ‘ve read tons and tons of articles by a myriad of Arab journalists lamenting his loss. Saudi, Egyptian, Lebanese, Emirati, etc. Again, normally Arab journalists would only write such emotional articles when a legendary Arab singer dies. So Michael has never stopped breaking barriers. Never.
The latest tribute was done in the premier night of Cairo Festival of Cinema for Children, 3rd of March. His birthday was celebrated all around the Arabian countries.
You said he even gained new legions of little fans in the US. The same is happening here in Saudi Arabia. Personal experience, I have 4 little cousins (age from 4 to 8 years old) who have become the absolute stans for Mike.
My baby girl cousin (8 years old) went one day to school, after his passing, wearing a Michael Jackson T-shirt. Three students in her class came checking her shirt and said “Oh my god I love Michael too”. Her best friend teared up when she saw the shirt. She felt jealous
She wanted a similar one!! This is coming from kids who were introduced to his music through the media coverage of post 25th of June.
And let’s not talk about the legions of fans in Asia, Europe, and Africa. A part of a Russian forest was named after Michael Jackson. A 6 year old British kid wanted to do charitable works for Africa after watching the old music video of We Are the World>>>>this is very recent. Michael still has his magic. It never went away.
A few weeks ago, there were two tributes to him in Germany and India. And the list goes on and on.
That kind of love will never be attained by Beyonce, Gaga, Usher, Rihanna or anybody to be exact. Nay-sayers could talk all they want. It will not happen! And talking about it over and over will not force it into happening either
Yo gave a great argument for Bey, not necessarily that she’s “The Next MJ” but what she has brought to the industry. The girl has made her impact on it too. And as for her songwriting, like that poster mentioned, she has 3 ASCAP Songwriter of the Year awards. You don’t get those kinds of awards for just adding one or two lines or words in a song. I hope all you know that a song can be WRITTEN or composed WITHOUT LYRICS. But enough of that, I am going to quote from the New Yorker that will explain what Bey brings to the table studio wise: She is also a strange and brilliant musician. Young black female singers rarely get past the red rope and into the Genius Lounge—the moody, the male, and the dead crowd that room. But with or without co-writers, Knowles does remarkable things with TONE and HARMONY(Capitalized for effect).
And to confirm this, here is something from Dave Pensado, an engineer: Beyonce just hears those harmonies in her head. She was born with them. Her dad, Matthew is quite a good singer, and I believe Tina sings also. She usually starts off with the tonic, and builds from there. She does a little experimentation, and then blends them herself with the engineer. I love her timing. She has no regard for the beat, but it always sounds right. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone work harder than Beyonce (maybe Mya). I’ve seen her fly in from Europe, come to the studio, do vocals for 4 hours, fly to NY for concert, go directly to airport for 2 shows in Japan, and on and on. No sleep for days, and just keep going and loving every minute of it. Mya is like that also. I get tired just TYPING about it!
He worked with her during the DIL AND the IASF era so he would know. And there are MANY more people who have worked with her who say the same thing. They NEVER speak against her songwriting, only the blogs who love to put rumor and gossip to do that. So the point is, Bey has her own lane has brought for over a DECADE. Solo and in a group. When you have indie labels saying things like this:
Also, all you had to do to show that MJJ is the greatest of all time and to give the fact that he pretty much saved the industry in a SALES SLUMP and the country being in a financial crisis with Thriller and opened the door for the big artists to do big #s like Diamond with the different away of marketing one’s work until black market CDs and the Internet gave way. That ALONE makes your argument.
I don’t know how to express my gratitude to you Scorpeze! I really don’t know how you do it! How you express & articulate better than most of us can. I’ve read a lot of blogs, news articles, etc but very few can really get to the gist of the matter & extrapolate it in such a direct & simple way that you just GET IT! I loved your MJ memoriam tribute btw! I’m not Black, Asian, but your blog on MJ’s Blackness opened my eyes! I’m glad that you wrote that, keep on writing! We’ll be following your blog & spreading it, thanks again!
Preach brother PREACH!! !AMEN is all that is left to say after this amazing blog. Thank you again !
In a word… wow. I laughed, I clapped, I shook my head. This is what they call breaking that ish down. Fabulous! Who can realistically argue? Great read! Before reading this, however, I’d not heard of anyone comparing Beyonce to Michael. That really IS laughable.
You’re so damn right, sure there were, are and there probably are to come more great artists, but there’s no artist, dead or alive, and I doubt there will ever be one to even get close to Michael . There was Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, James Brown, there is Madonna, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and many others but none of them get to me the way Michael did, his music, his lyrics, his passion, his love, his moves, the beat, everything leaves me just speechless, I can feel his music, I ca only hear Beyonce’s or Madonna’s or Elvis’s. when I listen to, let’s say a Beatles’ song and I really like it, it will probably make me tap my foot or start dancing if it’s really good, but when I listen to Michael singing the same song I get goose bumps that’s the effect he has on me. And I’m not the only one he has this effect on, there’s millions of fans who faint just by seeing him. H is the greatest entertainer of all time and nothing is going to change my opinion on that, he has changed me in a radical way since I know him.
God has given him an amazing talent to share with us and only He knows how much I thank Him for that.