First up is Chris Brown who is a talented youngster who like Mike has endured his own share of media scrutiny recently. With moves that emulate Michael, I’m surprised he didn’t go to the Michael Jackson “how to dance” camp. Watching CB dance is like watching a kid who studied Mike’s moves everyday while watching videos instead of the after school specials that his peers were watching. Unfortunately, Chris has not been doing his thang long enough so it’s really too early to determine if he will follow in the great one’s footsteps.
Next up is JT, you may know him as Justin Timberlake. It’s no secret that this blue eyed soul crooner is talented. Is he as talented as Michael Jackson? Umm, I don’t think so. Here’s the thing about the former N’Sync front man. His Michaelesque moves come pretty natural but Michael didn’t have a Timbaland as his go to guy while on stage or in any other capacity for that matter. Some may say that Mike’s Timbaland was Quincy Jones because Quincy produced for Michael and Timbaland produces for JT, but the comparisons stop there. I never heard Quincy Jones doing adlibs on a Michael Jackson record because Michael was fine on his own. That alone eliminates Justin from being considered as Mike’s heir. How can you be next in line when you can’t even stand on your own two feet.
Last and probably most peoples number one vote is Beyonce. B and MJ both started out as youngsters. While Michael signed to Motown at the age of 10, Beyonce was being groomed to take over the world when she was 10. Both of these superstars owe a portion of their success to their fathers. If you add the fact that they both are international superstars and got their starts singing in a very successful group, you might’ve convinced yourself that they are equal but the comparisons stop there. The biggest difference is the way that their star began to shine. Nothing against Beyonce but Michael’s rise to the top did not cause a rift between any of his group members a.k.a. his brothers. The estranged members of Destiny’s Child can smile through every interview question for the rest of their lives but if I was them I would be a little salty about everything that has occurred over the last 10 years. As much as people try to vilify Joe Jackson, Michael was not pushed into going solo by knocking down members of the Jackson 5 like they were bowling pins. Michael going solo was because of his sheer talent.
There you have it, my two cents on who I think will or will not follow in Michael’s footsteps. The great thing about the artists that I’ve mentioned is even if they don’t follow MJ’s path to greatness, they have definitely made their mark and will continue to do so. As you see all three of them win because they are mentioned in the same sentence as Michael Jackson and that alone is a great thing.
