And again, no one can tell me WHY MJ is ahead of P on this joke of a list?

scriptgirl said:

Because Michael has had a bigger impact than Prince has had in popular culture, not to mention there are places that know of Michael, but Prince is somewhat unknown

Not saying Prince isn't great. He's a genius and he's one of my heroes, Michael is more known around the world. He was the performer that people like Sammy, James, Jackie, Bojangles, the Nicolas Brothers, Ethel Waters worked to see make it to that particular platform

I was telling MuthaFunka and Harlepolis about this incident I had in my music literature class how my teacher underestimated Michael and Prince's influence and success but hyped up Madonna like she was Aretha Franklin
[Edited 2/17/09 13:43pm]

scriptgirl said:

Technically Michael had a lot to do with pioneering the modern-day pop artist, the CONTEMPORARY POP album with "Thriller" the concept of music videos. Prince is simply a musician whose influence has carried on with pop, R&B and funk musicians as well as the more avant-garde hip-hoppers like Andre 3000.

Michael is also an all-around entertainer and not only a musician so that adds to it.

Timmy84 said:

When you got kids in Greece and Russia buying a black man's album, that's saying something

bboy87 said:

Nuff said.

Graycap23 said:

Then you should come over here and find out for yourself. I know it shocks a lot of Americans, but over here, a lot of people have to think twice when you say James Brown, and most people don't really "get" it. Not saying he wasn't great, but he was/is a very American phenomenon, there's no denying that.
[Edited 2/17/09 13:56pm]

Timmy84 said:

Not quite. I was watching something on BBC2 the other night where there was this white guy, visiting a rainforest somewhere in south America, where he was visiting a tribe cut off for hundreds of miles around, Near naked folk, cutting trees and throwing logs into a river to make a living, and one girl had the 'Thriller' album on her MP3 player, he listenened to it in one ear, while listening to the tribe singing at dusk in the other, he was so amazed.

That is the impact of MJ, and why he is so revered.

Marrk said:

Now that's something!

i love bob marley!!!

Timmy84 said:

I remember some soldier saying when they rolled into Iraq the first time around the first thing the locals said was "Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson"
People forget his hugeness.

and I love Bob Marley too

kitbradley said:

For screaming on the mic that is

scriptgirl said:

When I think influential artists neither come to mind...

Timmy84 said:

Whatever.
Janet did too

I would say that P is more than simply "simply a musician". That is a vast understatement.

Bob Marley is the biggest musical influence for the Maori people of New Zealand, the Aborigines of Australia, Pacific Islanders and even small native Indian tribes in South America. And don't get me started on the whole continent of Africa.
And it's not only reggae music, how many rockers has been influenced by the man! It's not just the weed factor lol.

Jimi should be higher though, much higher.

PFunkjazz said:

scriptgirl said:

Because till this day I have never seen a greater infulence than MJ, people in refugees with no Tv know the man and his dances moves, its really mindblowing,Mj broke every possible barrier.

scriptgirl said:

It is. but the folk in the most remote, inhospitable areas of the world listen to MJ over Prince.

It's called Worlwide impact.

trueiopian said:

She wasn't the first anyways. Neither her nor Madonna.

Timmy84 said:

LOL...yeah, in fact I have never taken both madonna and janet seriously as artists, so they don't deserve to be on the list or any other list , maybe they should be on the " list of the top 25 porninfulential artists"...LOL

seeingvoices12 said:

Madonna and Janet are nothing, unless it was best female act of '86 or '89.

seeingvoices12 said:

Michaeal is just so famous you ask a small child who he is they know but they don't know Prince or madonna but they know mike. M.J haters can talk out of there neck but they can't deny his greatest.

Off-topic

Funny thing about madonna is i didn't even know who she was really i mean maybe a song or two but not until she kiss britney i knew who she was.

Same with Mike, Whitney Houston is also mad famous those two were like the coming lol

scriptgirl said:

One simple reason is because MJ has been around longer than Prince. Also think about this, MJ as a child made such an impression that any young Black male singer that came along after MJ was being compared to him (Tevin Campbell, Ralph Tresvant, Usher, etc.)

Where's Teddy Riley???

Uh.... they missed these folks.

Louis Armstrong
Clifford Brown
Nat King Cole
Thomas Andrew Dorsey
Duke Ellington
Billie Holiday
Mahalia Jackson
Robert Johnson
Jelly Roll Morton
Bessie Smith
The Isley Brothers
Ike Turner
Sly & The Family Stones
Muddy Waters

Oh, I forgot ...

Charlie Christian
Larry Graham
Thelonious Monk
Wes Montgomery
Charlie Parker
James Brown second band
Oscar Peterson
[Edited 2/17/09 19:23pm]

alexnvrmnd777 said:

Thank you. I'd submit Curtis Mayfield as well.

But this is BET so I can't really sweat it LOL

I think James Brown or Stevie Wonder should have headed the list.
And although Berry Gordy is not an artist, the influence he had on music with starting Motown took black music to another level. Without Motown would we have heard of artists like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and the Jacksons in the first place?
And as for Janet she ain't that influential, neither are many of them on the list. Quite frankly I think the Jackson 5, as young as they were when they first hit the scene, are probably more influential than she is.

Marrk said:

whatsgoingon said:

bboy87 said:

Um...why?