Is it me or does it seem that Justin Timberlake is always ripping off Michael Jackson? I mean, there are about half a dozen artists that I could name right now who are MJ wanna bes but it seems that Justin Timberlake always wants a "black sound" that seems contrived. He also was at the BET awards last year and was up there with Charlie Wilson trying to be some kind of soul singer. It seems that JT only associates with blacks when he's trying to rip off the black sound.

Only periodically.

SeventeenDayze said:

He also was at the BET awards last year and was up there with Charlie Wilson trying to be some kind of soul singer.

Justin was on Charlie's 2005 album Charlie Last Name Wilson.

Instead of pondering if JT is ripping off "the black sound," which is ridiculous, ask yourself why so many black artists are so quick to associate with JT. The BET Awards invited him, and Charlie Wilson (whom he's worked with before) seemed thrilled to be on stage with him. Hmmm. Seems like it's only spectators grumbling on the sidelines because they have a problem with his success. The industry overall -- including the world 'black music' -- doesn't seem to have a problem with JT. In fact, they seem to love him.

[Edited 5/15/14 10:11am]

Artesian said:

Instead of pondering if JT is ripping off "the black sound," which is ridiculous, ask yourself why so many black artists are so quick to associate with JT. The BET Awards invited him, and Charlie Wilson (whom he's worked with before) seemed thrilled to be on stage with him. Hmmm. Seems like it's only spectators grumbling on the sidelines because they have a problem with his success. The industry overall -- including the world 'black music' -- doesn't seem to have a problem with JT. In fact, they seem to love him.

[Edited 5/15/14 10:11am]

Are you suggesting that Charlie Wilson was honored to be up there with JT? Wow....

Fact is, Justin is one of the best out there today. It doesn't have anything to do with him trying to sound black or whatever you are asuming. He is being a better rnb singer than most other pop acts today. This is what seperates him from the others. But yeah, he is ripping off Michael a little. But who hasn't?

Replica said:

Fact is, Justin is one of the best out there today. It doesn't have anything to do with him trying to sound black or whatever you are asuming. He is being a better rnb singer than most other pop acts today. This is what seperates him from the others. But yeah, he is ripping off Michael a little. But who hasn't?

Why is it so difficult for people to admit when a white artist imitates a black sound? Remember the term, "blue eyed soul"? From daye one of his solo career, JT has gone out of his way to imitate that same sound. I find it strange that from what I can tell, he has no other affiliation with any black friends, etc. unless it's time to work on an album. He only seems to deal with blacks when it's time to make music, then he's away again. There are a lot of people that don't imitate Michael.

Apparently, he did 12 years ago.

.

.

Doubt it.

He's highly influenced by him but he dosen't act like he's on his level

obviously we'll never have a pop artist nearly as good as MJ but JT is the closest thing we'll get imo.

While Usher, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown are all influenced by MJ JT is way better at being a pop star imo than all those acts.

[Edited 5/15/14 10:57am]

this thread is sooooooooooo 2006-ish...

To be fair, Chris Brown's much worse when it comes to ripping off MJ, however JT is the guy the media was/ is pushing as the new King of Pop. It could've been Usher had he not practically sold out and stuck firmly to his R&B roots and simply added a twist of pop.

JT has soul but there's no doubt that he imitates the sound of black music and that was very apparent in 20/20.

TrueFunkSoldier2 said:

Doubt it.

He's highly influenced by him but he dosen't act like he's on his level

obviously we'll never have a pop artist nearly as good as MJ but JT is the closest thing we'll get imo.

While Usher, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown are all influenced by MJ JT is way better at being a pop star imo than all those acts.

[Edited 5/15/14 10:57am]

David Bowie is far better. A true pop music innovator, composer, visionaire.

SeventeenDayze said:

Replica said:

Fact is, Justin is one of the best out there today. It doesn't have anything to do with him trying to sound black or whatever you are asuming. He is being a better rnb singer than most other pop acts today. This is what seperates him from the others. But yeah, he is ripping off Michael a little. But who hasn't?

Why is it so difficult for people to admit when a white artist imitates a black sound? Remember the term, "blue eyed soul"? From daye one of his solo career, JT has gone out of his way to imitate that same sound. I find it strange that from what I can tell, he has no other affiliation with any black friends, etc. unless it's time to work on an album. He only seems to deal with blacks when it's time to make music, then he's away again. There are a lot of people that don't imitate Michael.

Maybe they're doing it because, you know, they like the sound?

Yeah, sure, I can understand why you would use the expression "imitate", but the case with many white Americans and Europeans is that we have grown up listening to black music and there's not necessarily any sort of "imitating" or "copying" involved in it. We're just playing and performing the type of music that we like the most. I know JT himself has tried to mimic the styles of MJ and even Prince, but that's probably he just loves the music by those guys so much. I won't go as far as defending JT all the way though, because when the influences are clearly audible he comes off to me as somewhat fake, maybe even naive. I don't like that "Take Back The Night" song, for example.

I've listened to black music since I was a toddler and have pretty much always preferred it over white music, so if I'm going to sit at a piano the chances are what I'm going to play is going to be some type of black music. What's so odd about that exactly?

Artesian said:

Instead of pondering if JT is ripping off "the black sound," which is ridiculous, ask yourself why so many black artists are so quick to associate with JT.

Stevie Wonder played harmonica on a *NSync song and Nelly was on another. *NSync also worked with the girl group Blaque and Justin did a song with Brian McKnight years ago. So it's not an all of a sudden thing.

ohYeeeeeah said:

TrueFunkSoldier2 said:

Doubt it.

He's highly influenced by him but he dosen't act like he's on his level

obviously we'll never have a pop artist nearly as good as MJ but JT is the closest thing we'll get imo.

While Usher, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown are all influenced by MJ JT is way better at being a pop star imo than all those acts.

[Edited 5/15/14 10:57am]

David Bowie is far better. A true pop music innovator, composer, visionaire.

I'm talking about better at being a pop artist though. MJ is accepted worldwide as the King of Pop.

David Bowie dosen't come close to that title.

[Edited 5/15/14 11:07am]

MotownSubdivision said:

To be fair, Chris Brown's much worse when it comes to ripping off MJ, however JT is the guy the media was/ is pushing as the new King of Pop. It could've been Usher had he not practically sold out and stuck firmly to his R&B roots and simply added a twist of pop.

JT has soul but there's no doubt that he imitates the sound of black music and that was very apparent in 20/20.

Yeah that's another MJ imitator is Chris Brown. But, I think it's a bit strange when JT does it. It's like he's an unabashed imitator. I've never even seen JT as much as take a photo with poor black kids somewhere for charity. I don't hate JT but it seems a bit phony that JT is going to do all these so-called Michael Jackson tributes and then he runs back to the suburbs or whatever.

TrueFunkSoldier2 said:

Doubt it.

He's highly influenced by him but he dosen't act like he's on his level

obviously we'll never have a pop artist nearly as good as MJ but JT is the closest thing we'll get imo.

While Usher, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown are all influenced by MJ JT is way better at being a pop star imo than all those acts.

[Edited 5/15/14 10:57am]

Wait, JT is better than Bruno Mars? Since when

SeventeenDayze said:

TrueFunkSoldier2 said:

Doubt it.

He's highly influenced by him but he dosen't act like he's on his level

obviously we'll never have a pop artist nearly as good as MJ but JT is the closest thing we'll get imo.

While Usher, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown are all influenced by MJ JT is way better at being a pop star imo than all those acts.

[Edited 5/15/14 10:57am]

Wait, JT is better than Bruno Mars? Since when

Hes better at being influenced by MJ and being a pop star imo.

Bruno Mars can't even dance that well and he lacks charisma.

[Edited 5/15/14 11:13am]

SeventeenDayze said:

I don't hate JT but it seems a bit phony that JT is going to do all these so-called Michael Jackson tributes and then he runs back to the suburbs or whatever.

It's not like The Jacksons hung out in Gary, Indiana that much after leaving. Didn't Michael hang out with old Hollywood actors & singers like Gregory Peck, Liz Taylor, Jane Fonda, Katherine Hepburn, Marlon Brando, Liza Minelli, etc. What's "hood" about them?

What about Michael appropriating hard rock and European classical music on his records? (he ripped off Mussorgsky for History, for example). I won't get into the usual accusations of him "wanting to be white", because I've never thought he had a reason to lie about having vitiligo. The guy certainly crossed some racial and cultural boundaries in any case.

If JT imitating MJ seems somehow awkward it's not really due to the aspects of race, but just because he's so clearly imitating an idol of his and that might come off as something you could expect maybe a teenager to do, but not a grown up man. If you're going to "reference" other artists in your work it's usually expected to be done in a subtler manner.

[Edited 5/15/14 11:21am]

novabrkr said:

If JT imitating MJ seems somehow awkward it's not really due to the aspects of race, but just because he's so clearly imitating an idol of his and that might come off as something you could expect maybe a teenager to do, but not a grown up man. If you're going to "reference" other artists in your work it's usually expected to be done in a subtler manner.

Howard Huntsberry basically was doing Jackie Wilson's style, and remade a few of his songs while in the group Klique. Then there's the "Sam Cooke's": Rod Stewart, Gerald Aston, Terence Trent D'arby, Steve Perry, etc. Johnnie Taylor would do some of Sam's riffs too, even in his later years. In Johnnie's case, he even replaced Sam in 2 gospel groups. Bobby Womack married Sam's widow and wore his clothes and Bobby's brother married Sam's daughter. Charlie Wilson was singing in a Stevie Wonder style, and some of the later New Jack singers copied Charlie. Jesse D from the Force MD's was sometimes doing a Michael Jackson style too and so was Ralph Tresvant from New Edition. David Lee Roth recently made a video talking about his performance style being influenced by acts like The Berry Brothers and The Nicholas Brothers. Everyone copied someone else.

[Edited 5/15/14 12:08pm]

Why is it so difficult for people to reconcile that Justin has always had a legitimate appreciation for, and affinity to, black music? Hell, when he was on Jimmy Fallon he cracked jokes while imitating Aaron Hall. Aaron Hall, of all people. In front of JF's middle of the road, white-bread audience, JT is referencing Aaron Hall; the attributing probably flew over the heads of 95% of the audience and home viewers.

Justin came back with an R&B album at a time when R&B music had less than a heartbeat on the charts. He could have gone totally pop and probably would have smashed harder because it was the "in" and "safe" thing to do. Usher went pop in a desperate attempt to stay relevant, yet people love to accuse JT of being a phony and a wannabe. Meanwhile I don't hear anyone bitterly critiquing rich and famous daddy-having, prep school attending Robin Thicke from Canada over his love of "the black sound."

Seriously, get over the Janet thing, because that's all this really boils down to.

[Edited 5/15/14 12:24pm]

Artesian said:

Why is it so difficult for people to reconcile that Justin has always had a legitimate appreciation for, and affinity to, black music? Hell, when he was on Jimmy Fallon he cracked jokes while imitating Aaron Hall. Aaron Hall, of all people. In front of JF's middle of the road, white-bread audience, JT is referencing Aaron Hall; the attributing probably flew over the heads of 95% of the audience and home viewers.

Justin came back with an R&B album at a time when R&B music had less than a heartbeat on the charts. He could have gone totally pop and probably would have smashed harder because it was the "in" and "safe" thing to do. Usher went pop in a desperate attempt to stay relevant, yet people love to accuse JT of being a phony and a wannabe. Meanwhile I don't hear anyone bitterly critiquing rich and famous daddy-having and prep attending Robin Thicke from Canada over his love of "the black sound."

Seriously, get over the Janet thing, because that's all this really boils down to.

[Edited 5/15/14 12:14pm]

Really?

He's received plenty of criticism for some of his stuff, especially for copying Marvin Gaye, on this forum.

Before I begin let me start off by stating that I'm just theorizing here. My theory?

It could be a resistance to white privilege. Not saying that this is the case but it's possible that with the co-opting of black music by artists who seem to do it just as good as black folks there's just no place for black artists anymore.

>

Back when Adele was selling a hundred million copies of her last album I read somewhere a journalist beg for black female artists to get back to what he felt made Adele's album so great. What he didn't ask is what black female soul singer (No Beyonce doesn't count) has access to Rick Ruben money? What black female has a record company encouraging her to even make those kinds of records. And with Adele around what audience even cares?

>

Justin is similar. Sure Timbaland is a critical piece of the Justin mystique, and Timbaland produces for many artists. But who except a white pop superstar can afford Tiberlake styled hits? We all know Timbaland saves his best for Justin and I'm sure his record company pays for the privilege. So when people blame Usher for abandoning his R&B roots remember Confessions came out in 2004. Future Sex came out in 2006, just in time to supplant a black artist the masses sees as inferior to the white artist doing the same things. I personally think love, marraige and a double baby carriage does little to further the career of a sex symbol/pop star like Usher but many disagree. But he's never been THE THING since Justin broke out with his full-blown pop/R&B hybrid style.

>

Remember this article?

>

http://raprehab.com/notic...er-needed/

>

It's possible black artists, sans the barely clothed Beyonce and Rihanna, just aren't appreciated anymore.

CynicKill said:

Before I begin let me start off by stating that I'm just theorizing here. My theory?

It could be a resistance to white privilege. Not saying that this is the case but it's possible that with the co-opting of black music by artists who seem to do it just as good as black folks there's just no place for black artists anymore.

>

Back when Adele was selling a hundred million copies of her last album I read somewhere a journalist beg for black female artists to get back to what he felt made Adele's album so great. What he didn't ask is what black female soul singer (No Beyonce doesn't count) has access to Rick Ruben money? What black female has a record company encouraging her to even make those kinds of records. And with Adele around what audience even cares?

>

Justin is similar. Sure Timbaland is a critical piece of the Justin mystique, and Timbaland produces for many artists. But who except a white pop superstar can afford Tiberlake styled hits? We all know Timbaland saves his best for Justin and I'm sure his record company pays for the privilege. So when people blame Usher for abandoning his R&B roots remember Confessions came out in 2004. Future Sex came out in 2006, just in time to supplant a black artist the masses sees as inferior to the white artist doing the same things. I personally think love, marraige and a double baby carriage does little to further the career of a sex symbol/pop star like Usher but many disagree. But he's never been THE THING since Justin broke out with his full-blown pop/R&B hybrid style.

>

Remember this article?

>

http://raprehab.com/notic...er-needed/

>

It's possible black artists, sans the barely clothed Beyonce and Rihanna, just aren't appreciated anymore.

That appears to be slowly changing. The owners of the past two #1 singles on the Hot 100 have been black men, and Beyonce has the second best selling album of the year (behind that Frozen sdtk.) After building his career trying to pander himself as a male equivalent to Katy/Kesha, Jason Derulo discovered he was black and is now having his biggest success with urban music. Even Chris Brown just scored a top 10 pop hit that featured Too Short of all people. White/pop acts like Katy Perry and Ariana Grande are even trying to go the urban-pop/trap route

It appears that black artists and music is desperately clawing itself back into the mainstream after years of back-of-the-bus treatment during EDM/pop hell made the post-disco backlash black acts went through during in the Lite-FM/country-pop early 80s look like Disneyland in comparison.

Hopefully it continues, because I never saw musical racism as hardcore as it was from 2010-2013.

TrueFunkSoldier2 said:

SeventeenDayze said:

Wait, JT is better than Bruno Mars? Since when

Hes better at being influenced by MJ and being a pop star imo.

Bruno Mars can't even dance that well and he lacks charisma.

[Edited 5/15/14 11:13am]

What? Bruno's a better dancer than JT and really, a better overall performer/ showman not to mention a much more versatile vocalist. The main thing that he lacks though that JT possesses besides seniority is class. Bruno can still come off as a 13 year old in his songs because of the lame, elementary lyrics most of his songs have (Gorilla is a prime example in addition to pretty much every song on his first album). People also say he has no soul in his voice and I disagree with that, he doesn't have as much as JT but it's there deep down; he just needs the perfect song to convey it.

JT being a better pop star than Bruno is debatable and really leans on your preference but I don't see the point when you say JT is better at being influenced by MJ. What significance does that bare?

TrueFunkSoldier2 said:

Doubt it.

He's highly influenced by him but he dosen't act like he's on his level

obviously we'll never have a pop artist nearly as good as MJ but JT is the closest thing we'll get imo.

While Usher, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown are all influenced by MJ JT is way better at being a pop star imo than all those acts.

[Edited 5/15/14 10:57am]

In your dreams.

JT is the kind of a pop star that sticks with what he knows, tries nothing new and ever pushes himself to be creative (Even if 20/20 was a good album, musically speaking).

See, JT studied Michael Jackson, as well as Bruno Mars and Chris Brown and such... These guys are mainly influenced by MJ in a way they can't help but showing that in their style... but the thing is they stick too much to MJ and MJ ish things they tend to look like a bad impersonators, you just can't have your own style when you do that, Chris Brown is an imitation act and that's a fact, from his MJ TV tributes to his MJ jacket hat dancing, he has an image of a MJ impersonator and his true style rarely shows (It's either the hip hop hoe guy or... yeah, the hip hop hoe guy). On the other hand, Bruno and Usher have their own style as musicians and artists, and even if Usher imitates MJ in a lot in his dancing...etc he still can prove he can come up with something daring and new... Bruno is IMO the perfect MJ influenced guy // in his way to have his own style, musically, shows wise...etc, it's like Janelle Monae being influenced by Prince.... she studied him, and that helped her to create her own image.