PurpleKnight said:

No One's saying James brown should be excused for what he did, but it doesn't nullify his accomplishments, any more than Michael Jackson's pedophilia (if it's true) nullifies his art. An artist can still deserve honor and respect for their accomplishments even if they are guilty of a criminal or immoral act. No one's saying those acts should go unpunished but to dimiss or condemn the artist or their body of work entirely is a mistake. For your information, John lennon was abusive, physically and emotionally, to many of his girlfriends and spouses, by his own admission as was Miles Davis (miles davis was also dismissive and arrogant to nearly every "normal" person he met), are you gonna say that John Lennon and Miles Davis aren't inspirations or great artists? Marvin Gaye cheated on his wife and had an illegimate child with a 15 year old girl, is that going to prevent you from appreciating What's Going On for the masterpiece it is. Picasso was an inveterate womanizer and sleazebag, Mozart was rude, obnoxious and a compulsive gambler. Chuck Berry was a huge pervert who was arrested for transporting an underaged prostitute across state lines in the trunk of his car. and Prince? from what I've heard he's one of the worst womanizers of his generation, and I think I've heard that he's gotten physical with women too. I could go on and on. Great artists are actually quite rarely as good at being upstanding citizens as they are at their art

If I am not wrong JB is not a musician. He is a great performer but not a musician. He was at the rigth place at the rigth time with the good people around him (Maceo...). I would not consder him a genius. If it was not him, it would have been someone else I guess.