the pop ascension in full affect

SeventeenDayze said:

novabrkr said:

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?

Can someone please explain how black artists couldn't get their music on the radio and had their songs watered down by white artists? See Pat Boone and Little Richard, for example

I have no idea what your comment really has to do with what I've written.

SeventeenDayze said:

Replica said:

I've been listening to mj for a long while before jt. But also listening to jt for a long while now. I don't think it is a problem for me listening to heavily mj influenced artists when they're adding something fresh to it. He is a million times more interesting than Usher and Chris Brown combined IMO. They're every bit as much of so called copies as he is. And why does he have to pose with poor kids to score some fake U2 points. Can't somebody love a genre that is more dominated by one group of people that are visually somewhat different from themselves without it being imitation of a culture that is "owned" by one "race". Black people can sing country without "stealing" white music. Aaron Neville has successfully done so. A better example of white artists stealing black music was Robert Palmer, as he made hit covers out of songs that were just doing alright in the rnb charts. I myself am Norwegian, but also 50% Filipino blood. I'm very much inspired by funk, soul, rap etc, and mainly African American artists. It would be impossible for me to sound half Filipino and half Norwegian when I sing funk songs with English lyrics. What would you advise me to do as an artist?

So is your sarcasm relaying the notion that there's no such thing as a black sound?

I'm saying that certain sounds does have a cultural background, but that skin color and so called race doesn't make you own it. It just sometimes makes it easier to explain the historical connection. Alot of so called "black" music has alot of cultural influence from Western African music as we can se traces of it historically back to where it came from. However music is not created in a vacum, and is constantly changing and learning from similar cultures. If a white man was born in western africa back when almost no white men lived there, he'd create the excact same music as everyone there. Creating a unique sound in music is actually a very modern thing, where identity has become more important to people. Worshipping they're own self is a product of the possibility to draw from different cultures in a consumer society where identity gives you power and you can brand yourself as an independent product.

The difference between folk singers 200 years ago was marginal, the difference between tribe music within one tribe was more likely marginal. We can even see that today in tribes that has little contact with other cultures. The melting pot is a metaphor for a multicultural society. That's why USA is often referred to as the melting pot. You might get hurt by hearing this, but not only does a country share rules and regulations, but cultures will be an influence to people in the society that you and some other people think don't deserve it. Like me for example, I have a tendency to listen more to Prince, MJ, Rick James, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, Billy Cobham. I love music that you maybe could say is "black" in the sense of it's heritage and how many doing similar music. However if I love this music. Should me as an artist all of a sudden start sounding like Tim Mcgraw, just because some asshole said that I'm not black enough to do what I love to do? WTF? I'm LOVE so called black music, and I have every right to be heavily inspired by it. And it doesn't make me steal it any more than anyone else doing it, no matter where they come from.

JT gets so much hate just because he is a white man successful in a music genre dominated by black artists. It never occurs to people that right now, he is one of the best. They explain his success with him being white. I agree that it probably is an important factor for getting the right contacts etc alot easier, as well as getting attention from a white audience alot easier. But even when that is covered, I still think he is one of the best. He certainly is alot more interresting than most other rnb artists in the mainstream. He has better songs, better beats, positive vibe, and he is one of few artists that actually gets something interresting out of Timbaland these days. He has been doing his auto pilot sound for so many years now. JTs last album actuall had great Timbaland production. It was not avant garde or nothing like that, but it was tasty and suitable for JTs voice. They make a perfects match. This I say even though I think JT is highly limited when it comes to vocal range, he is not THAT GOOD of a dancer, and visually he is just the boy next door. Even without all of that, he is making it work. He knows his limitations. That's why he is singing good in the range he is comfortable with, editing his music videos so that he looks like a better dancer, and gets production that is perfect for him. He is a star because he KNOWS his limitations, and does whatever he can to make it work.

JT is a phony overrated 2014 Elvis. He is not that deep and folks need to stop drinking the white media's kool aid because that is all it is. The thing about JT that turns me off specifically is his fakeness. He is SO fake and contrived. He TRIES to have soul. He TRIES to dance. He TRIES to imitate black music. There is nothing organic or natural about anything he does. He has a handful of catchy songs but nothing groundbreaking. He is pretty average all around and there are a more talented, organic, pop artists. Ex. Bruno Mars

Forgot to put Timbaland and Pharrel up in this. But if you think of the mixture of different factors, they all would help shape his sound. And it dit.

deebee said:

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.

I always thought that the twist in the case of the Justified album and its marketing was that, where an artist apeing another artist's style isn't necessarily anything new, here the fact that he was closely referencing Michael Jackson was kind of an overt part of the whole thing. It was like we were being invited to make that link right from the get-go, rather than it being more hidden or denied. Hence, not only were some of the sung vocals on that lead single made to sound incredibly like MJ, there was even this spoken bit with these very Jackson-like recollections about "when I was a little boy", etc.

We even got told about how some of these songs were originally for Michael's album, but were turned down. And with that album having turned out to be a disappointment, where the JT material would've represented a return to form, it was easy to think of it as Justin doing Michael better than Michael was by then!

Yeah, it's a bit hard to criticize someone of copying another artist when the references are so obvious. Though to be honest, I was always rather embarrassed for JT for doing that first MJ-style video of his and the parody clip linked above pretty much sums up my feelings about it. Chris Brown's "Fine China" was perhaps even worse. I can see JT having had the ability to move away from those times a bit, but Chris Brown continues to stay in that rut.

It's strange in the sense that when we see artists using elements from Prince's music, to the degree of trying to sound exactly like him, we tend to clap our hands here. Perhaps the difference is just that doing a "pastiche" is okay, but "trying to become someone else" feels awkward.

ScarletScandal said:

Justin Timberlake is hanging on tight to MJ's dick. Why is it that so so many times him and JT are mentioned in some type of way? It's like slowly we're being conditioned to associate MJ and JT together. I can't even watch that new MJ video, because Justin's greasy pie face is all up in it. I would have been so satisfied with a video of clips, like the Who Is It video. I'm sick of JT. PLEASE go the fuck somewhere already. God damn. Where the hell is Usher at? I thought he would have been all up in this. I can take that at least. I mean, it's cool to want to be like MJ and adore him and all that, we've all been there, but Justin is just MJ's dick rider. That's all I see him as. Why can't he try to be Elvis or some shit?

Rant Over.

Interesting observation.

TrueFunkSoldier2 said:

ohYeeeeeah said:

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]

The King Of what ? King of Marketing? It is a self attributd title. This is totally ridiculous. Bowie did more for Pop music than MJ ever did. Bowie's body of work is far superior. Full stop.

ScarletScandal said:

Justin Timberlake is hanging on tight to MJ's dick. Why is it that so so many times him and JT are mentioned in some type of way? It's like slowly we're being conditioned to associate MJ and JT together. I can't even watch that new MJ video, because Justin's greasy pie face is all up in it. I would have been so satisfied with a video of clips, like the Who Is It video. I'm sick of JT. PLEASE go the fuck somewhere already. God damn. Where the hell is Usher at? I thought he would have been all up in this. I can take that at least. I mean, it's cool to want to be like MJ and adore him and all that, we've all been there, but Justin is just MJ's dick rider. That's all I see him as. Why can't he try to be Elvis or some shit?

Rant Over.

-

-

Nah, we were bombarded with that ever since he and Jive Records released, "Like I Love You." I remember magazine covers stating: "The New King of Pop." Don't remember which ones though. I just glanced and moved on.

mjscarousal said:

JT is a phony overrated 2014 Elvis. He is not that deep and folks need to stop drinking the white media's kool aid because that is all it is. The thing about JT that turns me off specifically is his fakeness. He is SO fake and contrived. He TRIES to have soul. He TRIES to dance. He TRIES to imitate black music. There is nothing organic or natural about anything he does. He has a handful of catchy songs but nothing groundbreaking. He is pretty average all around and there are a more talented, organic, pop artists. Ex. Bruno Mars

SeventeenDayze said:

namepeace said:

Let's park the racial dynamics for one minute.

What artist like JT WOULDN'T want Michael Jackson's career?

This question wasn't intended to talk about "wanting" Michael's career. It is strictly about the notion that JT has no problem trying to use black music to elevate himself. He's not threating to middle America and thus is seen as being more marketable.

I just don't understand why some people cannot see the racial dynamic in this situation as well.

Take my comment, for example. It presumes there IS a racial dynamic. Saying there's no racial dynamic to pop music as a whole is like saying the sky isn't blue. I mean, you can make your same argument against countless non-black popular musicians over the course of the last century. It's kind of a given, isn't it?

It's just saying, let's set that aside for a second.

Your first paragraph basically makes my point. He and countless artists before him have been trying to replicate the Thriller formula.

ohYeeeeeah said:

TrueFunkSoldier2 said:

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]

The King Of what ? King of Marketing? It is a self attributd title. This is totally ridiculous. Bowie did more for Pop music than MJ ever did. Bowie's body of work is far superior. Full stop.

But, that's just YOUR opinion man.

Marrk said:

ohYeeeeeah said:

The King Of what ? King of Marketing? It is a self attributd title. This is totally ridiculous. Bowie did more for Pop music than MJ ever did. Bowie's body of work is far superior. Full stop.

But, that's just YOUR opinion man.

I think y'all are talking apples and oranges.

In terms of sales and overall cultural impact, there's no reasonable dispute that MJ is the choice between the two. MJ's body of work as a singer, performer and to lesser degree, writer has heavily influenced artists down the line.

In terms of artistic achievement, Bowie stands heads and shoulders above most artists. His influence on the look and sound of rock -- and pop culture as a whole -- is huge in a way MJ's could never be.

They live on different streets in the same exclusive neighborhood.

mjscarousal said:

JT is a phony overrated 2014 Elvis. He is not that deep and folks need to stop drinking the white media's kool aid because that is all it is. The thing about JT that turns me off specifically is his fakeness. He is SO fake and contrived. He TRIES to have soul. He TRIES to dance. He TRIES to imitate black music. There is nothing organic or natural about anything he does. He has a handful of catchy songs but nothing groundbreaking. He is pretty average all around and there are a more talented, organic, pop artists. Ex. Bruno Mars

Agreed. He's no Tina Marie or Michael McDonald...

namepeace said:

Marrk said:

But, that's just YOUR opinion man.

I think y'all are talking apples and oranges.

In terms of sales and overall cultural impact, there's no reasonable dispute that MJ is the choice between the two. MJ's body of work as a singer, performer and to lesser degree, writer has heavily influenced artists down the line.

In terms of artistic achievement, Bowie stands heads and shoulders above most artists. His influence on the look and sound of rock -- and pop culture as a whole -- is huge in a way MJ's could never be.

They live on different streets in the same exclusive neighborhood.

Of course I agree. Why do people feel the need to put one artist down to raise another? It totally pisses me off. I love Bowie too (mainly for his seventies stuff) If i didn't, i still wouldn't go on a Bowie thread spouting off about Michael Jackson.

Replica said:

SeventeenDayze said:

So is your sarcasm relaying the notion that there's no such thing as a black sound?

I'm saying that certain sounds does have a cultural background, but that skin color and so called race doesn't make you own it. It just sometimes makes it easier to explain the historical connection. Alot of so called "black" music has alot of cultural influence from Western African music as we can se traces of it historically back to where it came from. However music is not created in a vacum, and is constantly changing and learning from similar cultures. If a white man was born in western africa back when almost no white men lived there, he'd create the excact same music as everyone there. Creating a unique sound in music is actually a very modern thing, where identity has become more important to people. Worshipping they're own self is a product of the possibility to draw from different cultures in a consumer society where identity gives you power and you can brand yourself as an independent product.

The difference between folk singers 200 years ago was marginal, the difference between tribe music within one tribe was more likely marginal. We can even see that today in tribes that has little contact with other cultures. The melting pot is a metaphor for a multicultural society. That's why USA is often referred to as the melting pot. You might get hurt by hearing this, but not only does a country share rules and regulations, but cultures will be an influence to people in the society that you and some other people think don't deserve it. Like me for example, I have a tendency to listen more to Prince, MJ, Rick James, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, Billy Cobham. I love music that you maybe could say is "black" in the sense of it's heritage and how many doing similar music. However if I love this music. Should me as an artist all of a sudden start sounding like Tim Mcgraw, just because some asshole said that I'm not black enough to do what I love to do? WTF? I'm LOVE so called black music, and I have every right to be heavily inspired by it. And it doesn't make me steal it any more than anyone else doing it, no matter where they come from.

JT gets so much hate just because he is a white man successful in a music genre dominated by black artists. It never occurs to people that right now, he is one of the best. They explain his success with him being white. I agree that it probably is an important factor for getting the right contacts etc alot easier, as well as getting attention from a white audience alot easier. But even when that is covered, I still think he is one of the best. He certainly is alot more interresting than most other rnb artists in the mainstream. He has better songs, better beats, positive vibe, and he is one of few artists that actually gets something interresting out of Timbaland these days. He has been doing his auto pilot sound for so many years now. JTs last album actuall had great Timbaland production. It was not avant garde or nothing like that, but it was tasty and suitable for JTs voice. They make a perfects match. This I say even though I think JT is highly limited when it comes to vocal range, he is not THAT GOOD of a dancer, and visually he is just the boy next door. Even without all of that, he is making it work. He knows his limitations. That's why he is singing good in the range he is comfortable with, editing his music videos so that he looks like a better dancer, and gets production that is perfect for him. He is a star because he KNOWS his limitations, and does whatever he can to make it work.

If what you're saying is true, why didn't JT hire a WHITE producer for his album? I bet dollars to donuts that his dance teacher is black as well. The person who taught Miley Cyrus how to "twerk" is a black woman. Why didn't she hire a white woman to teacher her how to twerk?

Marrk said:

namepeace said:

I think y'all are talking apples and oranges.

In terms of sales and overall cultural impact, there's no reasonable dispute that MJ is the choice between the two. MJ's body of work as a singer, performer and to lesser degree, writer has heavily influenced artists down the line.

In terms of artistic achievement, Bowie stands heads and shoulders above most artists. His influence on the look and sound of rock -- and pop culture as a whole -- is huge in a way MJ's could never be.

They live on different streets in the same exclusive neighborhood.

Of course I agree. Why do people feel the need to put one artist down to raise another? It totally pisses me off. I love Bowie too (mainly for his seventies stuff) If i didn't, i still wouldn't go on a Bowie thread spouting off about Michael Jackson.

This whole thread is about putting down Justin Timberlake.

Replica said:

Marrk said:

Of course I agree. Why do people feel the need to put one artist down to raise another? It totally pisses me off. I love Bowie too (mainly for his seventies stuff) If i didn't, i still wouldn't go on a Bowie thread spouting off about Michael Jackson.

This whole thread is about putting down Justin Timberlake.

If that's what you think then perhaps visiting this thread may not be a good idea for you. Also feel free to answer about why JT works with black producers when he could hire a white producer instead. Same thing with Miley and twerking. Why didn't she hire a white woman to show her that? Now all of a suddent went from the black neighborhood to the suburbs via Miley Cyrus....

[Edited 5/16/14 10:06am]

Perhaps I should start a "Does Justin Bieber think he's Michael Jackson?" thread.....so looks like Bieber is lucky enough to hang out with Floyd Mayweather's entourage and now he gets to do an MJ tribute as well?

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/justin-bieber-set-for-really-special-michael-jackson-duet-xscape-producer-confirms-9377384.html

Replica said:

Marrk said:

Of course I agree. Why do people feel the need to put one artist down to raise another? It totally pisses me off. I love Bowie too (mainly for his seventies stuff) If i didn't, i still wouldn't go on a Bowie thread spouting off about Michael Jackson.

This whole thread is about putting down Justin Timberlake.

Well i've no comment on JT. Besides, sure some self-promotion is no doubt taking place but really, so what? that's the business now. It's still cool he's given his time and stands up for MJ, same for Usher on that i Heart Radio performance.

SeventeenDayze said:

Replica said:

This whole thread is about putting down Justin Timberlake.

If that's what you think then perhaps visiting this thread may not be a good idea for you. Also feel free to answer about why JT works with black producers when he could hire a white producer instead. Same thing with Miley and twerking. Why didn't she hire a white woman to show her that? Now all of a suddent went from the black neighborhood to the suburbs via Miley Cyrus....

[Edited 5/16/14 10:06am]

If I were a rnb singer I'd also work with Timbaland and Pharrell instead of some producers that don't know urban music like they do. They happen to be black. So yeah, he is picking black producers cause the ones he has picked are the best out there today. He could have picked Stargate. They're white, and Norwegian. But their sound imo doesn't have much personality in it. But they're talented without a doubt. So the answer is not the color, but the talent. He is picking talent. Talented producers that also are respected in the game, which means it will get him more attention. Easy task if you ask me.

Comparing Miley with JT is not fair though. A dancer will instantly recognize that she is no dancing talent. She is just gimmick. However JT knows how to sing, and even though he does have gimmicks, he is alot more than that.

To answer the op question: No. He's knows better.

Does he (like any other artist would) loves being compared or crowned KOP? Hell yes.

-

It's all deliberate though. His management knows what they're doing. Nothing is left to happenstance.

Never has there been a more mediocre imitator to rise to such heights.

Comparing him to MJ is a joke. There is no comparison.

Michael Jackson rose to where he was because he was phenominal.

Like Prince, he was a talented person given opportunity and no limits.

Justin was and is pure pop product.

Everything about him is manufactured. He is where he is because he has classic American white male LOOKS and can carry a tune well enough to sell merchandise while singing and dancing without being booed off stage.

Michael wasn't a pop star. He BECAME a pop star because he became a musical force that couldn't be denied.

Justin was made into a pop star because he has marketable looks. He looks like the son-in-law/boyfriend/brother that middle class white American families want. His so-called talent is forgettable. He is influenced by R&B but has never excelled at it.

Example. Who ever says they are influenced by Justin Timberlake?

He's been around since the 90s and hasn't influenced anybody.

Michael was influencing people in the 70s.

Enough of this nonsense.

Q: Does Justin Timberlake think he's Michael Jackson?

A: It doesn't matter what Justin thinks he is.

This thread is full of Justin apologists. Defend somebody worth defending.

Justin has only been good at exploiting and imitating.

[Edited 5/16/14 11:03am]

SeventeenDayze said:

ScarletScandal said:

Justin Timberlake is hanging on tight to MJ's dick. Why is it that so so many times him and JT are mentioned in some type of way? It's like slowly we're being conditioned to associate MJ and JT together. I can't even watch that new MJ video, because Justin's greasy pie face is all up in it. I would have been so satisfied with a video of clips, like the Who Is It video. I'm sick of JT. PLEASE go the fuck somewhere already. God damn. Where the hell is Usher at? I thought he would have been all up in this. I can take that at least. I mean, it's cool to want to be like MJ and adore him and all that, we've all been there, but Justin is just MJ's dick rider. That's all I see him as. Why can't he try to be Elvis or some shit?

Rant Over.

I agree with you. But, did you see Usher on the iHeartRadio awards? He did a brief tribute to MJ that was just dancing and no singing. I think you're right, JT is being marketed as if he's the new MJ. Basically, JT likes to being a copy cat but never seems to be very genuine about black people unless they are giving him beats of course.

Yeah, that's cool. I mean, I thought Usher was the successor to the throne? Now JT is always "Me and Michael this" and shit. Get the hell off his dick. After he fucked over Janet, now he's going after MJ

Musicslave said:

ScarletScandal said:

Justin Timberlake is hanging on tight to MJ's dick. Why is it that so so many times him and JT are mentioned in some type of way? It's like slowly we're being conditioned to associate MJ and JT together. I can't even watch that new MJ video, because Justin's greasy pie face is all up in it. I would have been so satisfied with a video of clips, like the Who Is It video. I'm sick of JT. PLEASE go the fuck somewhere already. God damn. Where the hell is Usher at? I thought he would have been all up in this. I can take that at least. I mean, it's cool to want to be like MJ and adore him and all that, we've all been there, but Justin is just MJ's dick rider. That's all I see him as. Why can't he try to be Elvis or some shit?

Rant Over.

-

-

Nah, we were bombarded with that ever since he and Jive Records released, "Like I Love You." I remember magazine covers stating: "The New King of Pop." Don't remember which ones though. I just glanced and moved on.

Lol! I remember when "LILY" came out and JT was like "I love the song because it sounds like something Prince would come up with in a jam session."

Girl, no, bye.

"Like I Love You" is still my favorite single from him, simply because of the live drums used on it. (Even if they are looped sections, lol).

BlaqueKnight said:

Never has there been a more mediocre imitator to rise to such heights.

Comparing him to MJ is a joke. There is no comparison.

Michael Jackson rose to where he was because he was phenominal.

Like Prince, he was a talented person given opportunity and no limits.

Justin was and is pure pop product.

Everything about him is manufactured. He is where he is because he has classic American white male LOOKS and can carry a tune well enough to sell merchandise while singing and dancing without being booed off stage.

Michael wasn't a pop star. He BECAME a pop star because he became a musical force that couldn't be denied.

Justin was made into a pop star because he has marketable looks. He looks like the son-in-law/boyfriend/brother that middle class white American families want. His so-called talent is forgettable. He is influenced by R&B but has never excelled at it.

Example. Who ever says they are influenced by Justin Timberlake?

He's been around since the 90s and hasn't influenced anybody.

Michael was influencing people in the 70s.

Enough of this nonsense.

Q: Does Justin Timberlake think he's Michael Jackson?

A: It doesn't matter what Justin thinks he is.

This thread is full of Justin apologists. Defend somebody worth defending.

Justin has only been good at exploiting and imitating.

[Edited 5/16/14 11:03am]

I'll always rank MJ way over JT, but can you seriously say that this song sounds like MJ



It's just as much Marvin Gay, Al Green, Prince etc... than Michael. D'Angelo sounds more like Prince than JT does MJ, R.Kelly sounds a duplicate of MJ on the Love Letter album compared to this. If we're talking about the new MJ album, then yeah, he's actually showing how much of an influence he is to honor him. Anyways Justing is not the strongest live artist, but he is creative in the studio. Delivers funky background vocal arrangements etc that are some of the most exciting in pop rnb today. I'm not just a pop dude. I listen to punk, underground hip hop, and the biggest part of my vinyl record collection is funk/soul. I have heard a bit. I own anything important by MJ. JT is not on his level, but if you compare him to whatever else that is popular right now. Can you name one artist that deliver a better total package? Besides maybe Bruno Mars, which I think is a bit too soft imo, although a huge talent!

in this interview he answers the question at 1mi 45 mark. he clearly dosen't see himself on the same level as MJ

[Edited 5/16/14 12:18pm]

Of course he's gonna say that he's not on MJ's level, he's not going to just outright admit that he's a copy cat. I will never understand why some people are in denial about JT and his questionable relationship with black artists. Some people haven't done their homework I see. Do a google search on Pat Boone and Little Richard. The white artists studied the black artists and then would perform the same song that was able to get airplay whereas the black artists could not do the same thing. All I am saying is that Justin clearly enjoys imitating the black sound but has absolutely no other connection besides that. When has he ever stood up against racism? Does he produce young black artists himself? The answer is no.

[Edited 5/16/14 12:40pm]

SeventeenDayze said:

Of course he's gonna say that he's not on MJ's level, he's not going to just outright admit that he's a copy cat. I will never understand why some people are in denial about JT and his questionable relationship with black artists. Some people haven't done their homework I see. Do a google search on Pat Boon and Little Richard. The white artists studied the black artists and then would perform the same song that was able to get airplay whereas the black artists could not do the same thing. All I am saying is that Justin clearly enjoys imitating the black sound but has absolutely no other connection besides that. When has he ever stood up against racism? Does he produce young black artists himself? The answer is no.

I just don't think he's crazy enough to consider himself on that level. He seems well aware like most JT fans that MJ is untouchable.