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How Justin Became King

by Andrew RomanoMar 19, 2013 4:45 AM EDT

Timberlake is the only male pop star worth talking about, so why has it taken so long to acknowledge his genius? In Newsweek, Andrew Romano on the man preternaturally in tune with the times.

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Justin Timberlake is our biggest male pop star. I realized this for the first time the other day. It hit me during the final leg of Timberlake’s dizzying campaign to promote The 20/20 Experience, his first LP in nearly seven years, which comes out March 19. He’d just hosted Saturday Night Live and was about to begin a weeklong stint on Jimmy Fallon; at that point I half-expected him to burst forth from my recycling bin with a winning smile and stack of CDs under his arm. I’m not sure why it took me so long to size up Timberlake’s stardom. Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna are bigger, of course, but they are very much not boys. Usher is a bore these days. Bruno Mars could evaporate at any moment. And Justin Bieber is still trapped in Tiger Beat territory. Timberlake is all we have.

When Timberlake sings about getting “all pressed up in black and white,” he expresses the Millennial desire for the authenticity of time tested classicism. (Christie Goodwin/Redferns, via Getty)

And yet for some reason we have been slow to acknowledge his place in the pop cosmos—not just me, but the culture at large. Most of the talk about Timberlake still centers on his improbable transformation from *NSYNC puff pastry—tight blond curls, paint-splattered jeans, matching diamond studs—to a credible, grown-up R&B artist. But the metamorphosis itself is old news. What hasn’t been adequately examined is the position he now occupies as our era’s equivalent of a Michael Jackson or an Elvis Presley, as strange as that sounds. I’m not just referring to the 17 million records Timberlake has sold, or the seven inventive, unshakable singles he’s released since the start of the 21st century. Every star reflects the generation that produces and sustains him: its character and its neuroses, its needs and its wants. So why have we settled on Justin Timberlake?

First things first: his talent is undeniable. At 2, he was singing along to the radio. “Is anyone listening to him?” his uncle asked. “He’s singing f--king harmony parts!” Later, Timberlake locked himself in his room, switched off the lights, and listened to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” for 48 hours straight. “I’d only come out for food or water,” he recently recalled. “I wanted to dissect every part of it.” He may have been the youngest member of *NSYNC, but he was also the most musical; as Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes told Rolling Stone in 2000, “to say that he’s got soul is something you expect me to say, but it’s true.” Timberlake proved Williams right. His first two albums were remarkably consistent, and remarkably good, and the new one extends the streak: inventive production; precise, supple vocals; relentless hooks. “Pusher Love Girl,” with its strutting beat, Curtis Mayfield falsetto, and crafty central metaphor (lover = drug dealer), will sound particularly excellent on the car stereo this spring.

As Pharrell Williams once put it, “Justin could’ve been raised in the black church.” (Christie Goodwin/Redferns, via Getty)

That said, plenty of contemporary performers—like Robin Thicke, for one—were blessed with talent. None of them are Timberlake. The reason, I think, is that his persona, and his taste, are preternaturally in tune with the times. At root, this has as much to do with biography as anything else: the contours of Timberlake’s life mirror every Millennial trend line. An estimated 40 percent of us are children of divorce, Timberlake included; his mother, Lynn Harless, split up with his father, Randy Timberlake, a bluegrass bassist, when Justin was 2. She and her second husband, Paul, went on to co-manage their son’s career—the ne plus ultra of helicopter parenting. By all reports, Timberlake and his mother have one of those peculiarly Millennial relationships in which the line between parent and pal is blurred. He lived with her even after his solo debut, and the two have been seen smoking pot together. “I had Justin when I was 20, and he seemed about 20 when he was born, so we’ve pretty much shared everything,” Lynn has said. “We’re weird like that. But there’s a lot of stuff he starts telling me about ... Some things you are not supposed to say to your mother. Sexual things. And his response is usually, ‘Oh, Mom, just listen.’”

Watch the history of Justin Timberlake’s breakout moments.

Timberlake has handled his career like a stereotypical Millennial as well, accepting the system as it is and making it work for him—unlike the baby boomers of the late 1960s, who relished their own anti-authoritarianism, and the Generation Xers of the late 1980s and early 1990s, who struck an alt-everything pose. First came the Baptist choir in Millington, Tenn., at age 8; then Star Search in Orlando at 10; then The All New Mickey Mouse Club at 12; and (finally!) a corporate record contract with *NSYNC at 14. He is the Organization Kid as pop star, and like many of his peers, he has multitasked his way through his 20s, diversifying into comedy (the SNL “Dick in a Box” sketch), film (The Social Network, Friends With Benefits), fashion (his William Rast clothing line), food (his Southern Hospitality BBQ restaurant), and media (his $35 million investment in MySpace). In a subtle, subconscious way, these familiar tendencies make Timberlake seem “real” to us—like someone we know.

For all the futurism of Timbaland’s productions—the bleeps and blips, the percussive mouth noises, the zippery loops—Timberlake’s music also strives to keep it real, mainly by anchoring itself in the organic sounds of the past. (Christie Goodwin/Redferns, via Getty)

For all the futurism of Timbaland’s productions—the bleeps and blips, the percussive mouth noises, the zippery loops—Timberlake’s music also strives to keep it real, mainly by anchoring itself in the organic sounds of the past. As Simon Reynolds recently wrote in Retromania, pop culture is increasingly feeding on its own history. And so “Suit and Tie” borrows its gentle ninth chords and sparkling piano glissandos from the cosmopolitan soul that Marvin Gaye was putting out in the 1970s, and Timberlake acknowledges the debt by quoting the “hot just like an oven” line from Gaye’s “Sexual Healing.” “Senorita,” the fourth single from Justified, is a direct descendent of Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ’Bout a Thing,” from its spoken intro to its Latin beat. And the only thing more Jacksonesque than Timberlake’s debut release, “Like I Love You”—which he performed at the 2002 MTV Music Video Awards in black pants, a red shirt, and a fedora—was his third single, “Rock Your Body,” an actual rejected Jackson track. Fearing inauthenticity—the inevitable side effect of a dematerialized digital society—Millennials gravitate toward styles that have been authenticated by the passage of time. When Timberlake sings about getting “all pressed up in black and white,” then appears at the Grammys in a Tom Ford tuxedo—his hair neatly parted, his band arrayed behind Art Deco podiums, the screen tinted like an old sepia-tone photograph—he is satisfying this desire, both in himself and his audience.

Race has also played a role in Timberlake’s rise. It’s fair to attribute some of his success to the same dynamic that propelled Elvis Presley to the top of the pop charts: white boy plays black music, makes it “safe” for mainstream America, and outsells the originators in the process. But Timberlake’s relationship to race reflects our world more than Presley’s. Elvis was a rebellious figure: a white Southerner tapping into black culture at a time when black culture was taboo. For that reason, among others, he’ll always be a much more revolutionary artist than Timberlake. (So will Jackson, who melded black and white music and united two previously segregated audiences.) But in 2013, African-American culture is no longer forbidden. It’s mainstream. It’s cool. Timberlake takes this for granted—he’s never known otherwise—and so do his fans. As a teenager, Timberlake wanted to be black, basically. He learned to sing from Brian McKnight, Al Green, and Donny Hathaway; early profiles describe his “homeboy delivery” and “hip-hop flavoring.” As Pharrell Williams once put it, “Justin could’ve been raised in the black church.” And so, unlike Elvis, Timberlake isn’t challenging the status quo by singing R&B. Instead, he is embodying our deeper, postracial aspiration—a desire that didn’t exist in Elvis’s day—to be at ease in black and white culture simultaneously. If he can pull it off, perhaps we can, too.

The heart of Timberlake’s appeal may be this comforting, consensus quality. The past is still part of the future. Race isn’t as problematic as it seems. (Christie Goodwin/Redferns, via Getty)

Ultimately, the heart of Timberlake’s appeal may be this comforting, consensus quality. The past is still part of the future. Race isn’t as problematic as it seems. And lest I get too carried away: we can all shine on the dance floor. That was the point, after all, of “SexyBack,” Timberlake’s twitchy 2006 masterpiece, which celebrated the singer’s valiant efforts to resurrect “sexy” itself—to save it from “them other boys [who] don’t know how to act.” “I don’t really think I’m bringing sexy back,” Timberlake once confessed. “But when a 28-year-old male or female is standing in a club in New York City at 2:30 in the morning and that f--kin’ song comes on, I want them to feel like they are.” For a self-regarding generation—the stars of Twitter, the celebrities of Facebook—what fantasy could be more intoxicating than that? Justin is just like us—and for the next few minutes, we are just like Justin.

http://www.thedailybeast....um=twitter

"Justin Timberlake is our biggest male pop star". The author should speak for itself.

There's a question mark at the end of this sentence, as if there was any doubt.

I like how he's a genius now though.

And Pharrel, I'm not sure he's done much vocally to suggest that we'd mistake him for being raised in the black church.

He's put out some good records though.

Timberlake owes a huge debt to the Jacksons, and Prince. Their influance is blatent. But Prince owes as much to Hendrix and Brown.

Seems like a fair statement though. He's put out some really good albums. Been in some good films (and a stinker). He hasn't oversaturated himself. Kids have grown up with him.

I'm not for a second suggesting that he's any kind of musical force. But you don't have to be in order to be a famous pop star. The article doesn't seem to suggest he's the most talented musician of his generation either. Although I'd question the word "genius" when placed in the same sentence.

The best there is out there today...Yes. The best there ever was...No.

i like justin music alot but i think usher is more talented and as a solo artist has sold more than justin.im not really impressed with nothing with justin new cd or usher new cd

Another one of these "roll" do people make these thing's every week?

One week it is Bruno Marks, the next it is Kanye, the next it Justim Timberlake etc.

Later, Timberlake locked himself in his room, switched off the lights, and listened to Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” for 48 hours straight. “I’d only come out for food or water,” he recently recalled.

By all reports, Timberlake and his mother have one of those peculiarly Millennial relationships in which the line between parent and pal is blurred. He lived with her even after his solo debut, and the two have been seen smoking pot together. “I had Justin when I was 20, and he seemed about 20 when he was born, so we’ve pretty much shared everything,” Lynn has said. “We’re weird like that. But there’s a lot of stuff he starts telling me about ... Some things you are not supposed to say to your mother. Sexual things. And his response is usually, ‘Oh, Mom, just listen.’”

- Hey mama, wanna hear about last night?

No, I'll stick to the sex descriptions only.

Timberlake has handled his career like a stereotypical Millennial as well, accepting the system as it is and making it work for him—unlike the baby boomers of the late 1960s, who relished their own anti-authoritarianism, and the Generation Xers of the late 1980s and early 1990s, who struck an alt-everything pose. First came the Baptist choir in Millington, Tenn., at age 8; then Star Search in Orlando at 10; then The All New Mickey Mouse Club at 12; and (finally!) a corporate record contract with *NSYNC at 14. He is the Organization Kid as pop star, and like many of his peers, he has multitasked his way through his 20s, diversifying into comedy (the SNL “Dick in a Box” sketch), film (The Social Network, Friends With Benefits), fashion (his William Rast clothing line), food (his Southern Hospitality BBQ restaurant), and media (his $35 million investment in MySpace). In a subtle, subconscious way, these familiar tendencies make Timberlake seem “real” to us—like someone we know.

(...) he is embodying our deeper, postracial aspiration—a desire that didn’t exist in Elvis’s day—to be at ease in black and white culture simultaneously. If he can pull it off, perhaps we can, too.

Is it because of that, that he represents the millenial hero avarage man wish to be, that he is supposed to be the star of our generation??

Nostalgia of the times when stars where determined by talent.

[Edited 3/19/13 13:12pm]

I don't know today's music much, but there's certainly no male pop talent to the level of past male stars. In pop rock or rnb, popular music, let's say. At least to this generation. Justin is okay, but this is truly an exaggeration. Pharrell may not have sung too much, but as a producer, songwriter and ocasional singer, he's much more talented, inventive and relevant, and same can be said about André 3000. Kanye West is much better too, though I prefer André and Pharrell. Miguel is a new and promising star and Adorn and Sure Thing surpass any Timberlake song easily. Yes, FutureSex had wonderful production and sounds, but try listening to SexyBack INSTRUMENTAL. The song is a dance gem and benefits so much without vocals.

I only truly enjoyed this song when I discovered the instrumental. What really hooked me on FSLS was the inventive production. JT assumes he's a much better singer than he really is. His falsettos and high pitch are very clumsy. This is easy to hear from his last Grammy performance. An avarage singer.

And, sue me, but I THINK Prince's 00s output, although it was the weaker decade of his carreer, has 10 TIMES more quality than JT's output.

[Edited 3/19/13 13:26pm]

WOW. Did Timberfake's people pay this guy to write this? The level of stanning in that piece is pathetic It's shocking that someone so mediocre as Timberfake is considered to be "great". Usher is way more talented than Timberfake, and so is relative newcomer Bruno Mars. He's not original or groundbreaking by any means and he's merely competent at what he does, but gets great producers and people to publicize him. Does he even have an "all-time classic" song? I can't think of any.

I think Timberfake has the best publicists/press agents/managers in the business. People want to talk about the overexposure of other stars? Timberfake is the #1 overexposed star these days. Think about how we've been bombarded with him these last couple months: to accompany his new music, we're seeing commercials for his album, commercials of a vodka company using his songs, his hosting and performing for the millionth time on SNL, tons of interviews and today on CNN there is both a running caption that his album is going to drop, plus a debate on the very article posted in this thread.

When Beyonce or Lady Gaga do this, people flip out on them. Where is the negative backlash for this guy who is pulling the same stunts?

What are u folks smoking?...................I want some.

Decent singer, good production of his songs, a corny/goofy/adorable/sweet/cool image that the girls like and guys don't get pissed of by, decent looking, decent dancer....

I think this explains why he is so successful, especially in today's industry where the quality of music and vocals are not the main selling point.

JT knows how to sell his brand, which is what you need to do today.

Graycap23 said:

What are u folks smoking?...................I want some.

Ive been saying the same thing for last 2 years.

What a fucking lie.

Okay, so JUSTINS MUSIC might be better than the Beyonces, Gagas, Miguels, Rihannas, etc (MUSIC WISE) but that is dued to his PRODUCTION TEAM AND SONGWRITERS. Justin does not come up with those melodies, production, lyrics himself. HIS MUSIC is a product of HIS PRODUCERS NOT HIM.

If you take the producers away..... Justin is not a good singer and not a good dancer. The man really doesnt have much raw talent outside of his producers so dont see how someone could call him a genius

His music is DESCENT. He is not doing anything that has not already been done before but calling him a genius

Like what the hell is the author smoking?

Whatever it is he needs to stop

Shard said:

WOW. Did Timberfake's people pay this guy to write this? The level of stanning in that piece is pathetic It's shocking that someone so mediocre as Timberfake is considered to be "great". Usher is way more talented than Timberfake, and so is relative newcomer Bruno Mars. He's not original or groundbreaking by any means and he's merely competent at what he does, but gets great producers and people to publicize him. Does he even have an "all-time classic" song? I can't think of any.

I think Timberfake has the best publicists/press agents/managers in the business. People want to talk about the overexposure of other stars? Timberfake is the #1 overexposed star these days. Think about how we've been bombarded with him these last couple months: to accompany his new music, we're seeing commercials for his album, commercials of a vodka company using his songs, his hosting and performing for the millionth time on SNL, tons of interviews and today on CNN there is both a running caption that his album is going to drop, plus a debate on the very article posted in this thread.

When Beyonce or Lady Gaga do this, people flip out on them. Where is the negative backlash for this guy who is pulling the same stunts?

Because his MUSIC is better than theres....... BUT he still isnt no genius.

I think Usher has more raw talent but he sold out.

I even prefer Bruno Mars.

And Robin Thicke is 10x better than him.

Difference between Prince and Timberlake is that Prince was inspired by Jimi Hendrix and James Brown and later created a musical synthesis that was totally his (Linn drum programming, use of synthesizers, great songwriting and a wave of great albums in different genres). Timberlake on the other hand is hiding behind Timbaland and Jay-Z to be the commercial success he has. He's already overexposed and it doesn't help that Questlove a/k/a/ professional-musician-turned-creepy-male-groupie is up his ass promoting his album when he's not stanning for Prince.

I gave the instrumental a shot. Yes, many of the great elements are still there, but I missed the vocals, which are part of a fuller experience--and since I could hear all the instruments anyway, there was just something lacking. That said, without the lyrics, I could play this for our kids at the preschool, so that's cool. But I'm sure my wife will still hate it.

BrazilianOnRaspberryBeret said:

Yes, FutureSex had wonderful production and sounds, but try listening to SexyBack INSTRUMENTAL. The song is a dance gem and benefits so much without vocals.

I only truly enjoyed this song when I discovered the instrumental.

mjscarousal said:

When Beyonce or Lady Gaga do this, people flip out on them. Where is the negative backlash for this guy who is pulling the same stunts?

Because his MUSIC is better than theres....... BUT he still isnt no genius.

I don't agree. For me, Beyoncé and Gaga ARE actually talented. Gaga played with the Rolling Stones last December, you know...

Yes.

EddieC said:

I gave the instrumental a shot. Yes, many of the great elements are still there, but I missed the vocals, which are part of a fuller experience--and since I could hear all the instruments anyway, there was just something lacking. That said, without the lyrics, I could play this for our kids at the preschool, so that's cool. But I'm sure my wife will still hate it.

Yes, the lyrics, on this particular song may be kind of cool (im saying this cause he has PRETTY DUMB LYRICS - My Love, for example), but his vocal performance is especially mediocre here.

So, for me, not many, but ALL the great elements of this song are in the instrumentation/production.

[Edited 3/19/13 17:12pm]

smoothcriminal12 said:

Yes.

BrazilianOnRaspberryBeret said:

mjscarousal said:

Because his MUSIC is better than theres....... BUT he still isnt no genius.

I don't agree. For me, Beyoncé and Gaga ARE actually talented. Gaga played with the Rolling Stones last December, you know...

They have the same level of talent as Justin.

They all cant dance and their vocals are not that impressive and are good for the music they make but Justin makes much better music (I dont even like Justin and can admit this BUT his not a genius or gifted ).

The fact that they have talent doesnt mean anything if they are making garbage music. Justins three albums are better than ANYTHING Beyonce and Gaga has ever came out with.

D angelo more talented and gifted than all of em... shit.

AND

Just because Gaga played with Rolling Stones doesnt mean she is genius.. What are you smoking?

[Edited 3/19/13 17:46pm]

I'm so tired of this fucking shit..

I'm gonna make a thread about it!

I beg to differ on Lady Gaga where her singing is concerned.

She blew the roof off when I saw her during the Monster Ball.

Freddie Mercury is obviously an influence on her stage presence.

BrazilianOnRaspberryBeret said:

EddieC said:

I gave the instrumental a shot. Yes, many of the great elements are still there, but I missed the vocals, which are part of a fuller experience--and since I could hear all the instruments anyway, there was just something lacking. That said, without the lyrics, I could play this for our kids at the preschool, so that's cool. But I'm sure my wife will still hate it.

Yes, the lyrics, on this particular song may be kind of cool (im saying this cause he has PRETTY DUMB LYRICS - My Love, for example), but his vocal performance is especially mediocre here.

So, for me, not many, but ALL the great elements of this song are in the instrumentation/production.

[Edited 3/19/13 17:12pm]

Actually, for me, the vocals here are part of the production--they're pretty heavily modified, so much so that I can't really consider it a "vocal performance" at all, but something that was largely created at the board. But when they're not there, I miss those notes. I'm not sure there's much of a song separate from the recording, so I'm not sure what we can say about vocals on this "as vocals." I'm not sure that it mattered what kind of performance Timberlake gave, the vocals are so processed.

I generally do like Timberlake, but obviously much of what there is to like in his records comes from the people he works with--but that's true of all the female figures he was being compared to in the article, or, honestly, Bruno Mars and Usher. I know that much of what I like in Timberlake songs comes from The Neptunes or from Timbaland, but I'm pretty sure part of it's him. I haven't listened to any of the albums--I only know the singles, though I have a copy of FSLS somewhere that I got at a garage sale, and I'll probably "find" the other two sometime in the next few days--but when they come on the radio, I stay on the station. Pretty much every time. So something must be working for me. I don't stay that consistently for the same producers work when it's with someone else.

Lady Gaga damn sure aint no Freddie Mercury.

I dont take them seriously like yall do.

I never said that she didnt have talent.

I said that they all possess the same minimum level of talent required to be a pop star.

I dont think Lady Gaga's singing is impressive

B Slade and Stokley impresses me not Lady Gaga

mjscarousal said:

Graycap23 said:

What are u folks smoking?...................I want some.

Ive been saying the same thing for last 2 years.

What a fucking lie.

Okay, so JUSTINS MUSIC might be better than the Beyonces, Gagas, Miguels, Rihannas, etc (MUSIC WISE) but that is dued to his PRODUCTION TEAM AND SONGWRITERS. Justin does not come up with those melodies, production, lyrics himself. HIS MUSIC is a product of HIS PRODUCERS NOT HIM.

If you take the producers away..... Justin is not a good singer and not a good dancer. The man really doesnt have much raw talent outside of his producers so dont see how someone could call him a genius

His music is DESCENT. He is not doing anything that has not already been done before but calling him a genius

Like what the hell is the author smoking?

Whatever it is he needs to stop

thats what made Aretha Franklin

Cuddles said:

mjscarousal said:

Ive been saying the same thing for last 2 years.

What a fucking lie.

Okay, so JUSTINS MUSIC might be better than the Beyonces, Gagas, Miguels, Rihannas, etc (MUSIC WISE) but that is dued to his PRODUCTION TEAM AND SONGWRITERS. Justin does not come up with those melodies, production, lyrics himself. HIS MUSIC is a product of HIS PRODUCERS NOT HIM.

If you take the producers away..... Justin is not a good singer and not a good dancer. The man really doesnt have much raw talent outside of his producers so dont see how someone could call him a genius

His music is DESCENT. He is not doing anything that has not already been done before but calling him a genius

Like what the hell is the author smoking?

Whatever it is he needs to stop

thats what made Aretha Franklin

Ohhh c'monnn

But nobody is calling Aretha Franklin a musical genius, she is legendary for different reasons besides that.

The media is hyping Justin like his freakin Stevie Wonder.

mjscarousal said:

Cuddles said:

thats what made Aretha Franklin

Ohhh c'monnn

But nobody is calling Aretha Franklin a musical genius, she is legendary for different reasons besides that.

The media is hyping Justin like his freakin Stevie Wonder.

genius isn't part of the equation, Pop star? Possible.

A pop star is the outcome of money interests backing a project.