Pop musicians got a shock this week when a man who changed the face of their field not only prematurely kicked the bucket, but gave them one final schooling from beyond the grave. Michael Jackson’s music is tearing up the charts and, with much poetic justice, bumping out contemporary pop stars like the Black Eyed Peas (man, they really suck. What ever happened to Joints and Jam?).
The resurgence of MJ’s music was palpable in the days following his death. Every DJ, live and radio, was revisiting his catalog, and the demand from listeners just kept growing. This global and currently ongoing Jackson fest brought music lovers to a world before ‘pop’ meant ‘very very bad’. Modern performers who claimed to emulate Jackson were reminded that he raised the bar to a level that has yet to be met. Think about it; who is the Michael Jackson of today? The closest bet would be Justin Timberlake. Now think further. What is Timberlake compared to Jackson? Absolutely nothing. Pop music sucks right now and the world just got a huge reality check.
MJ’s post-death remember-fest went on past the obligatory two day tribute period because his music is actually a lot better than the trash we’re bombarded with every day. It’s because the era of good song writing and outstanding performance is over. Living in the ‘auto tune and parital nudity sell records’ only just put things into perspective.
