You forgot James Brown.

dalboy2 said:

Found the following that reference Michael Jackson http://rateyourmusic.com/...n_♫_♪/ All Eyez on Me 2Pac All Eyez on Me (1996) Song: Check Out Time (feat. Kurupt, Big Syke & Natasha Walker) "Since I'm only here for one night, I got to get you hot and heated Play like Michael Jackson, and Beat It" Beginnings - The Lost Tapes: 1988-1991 Tupac Shakur Beginnings - The Lost Tapes: 1988-1991 (2007) [Compilation] Song: A Day in the Life "Speakin' on the phone in an aggravatin' tone, Now I know what Michael meant by Leave Me Alone" Honor Among Thevz 40 Thevz Honor Among Thevz (1997) Song: Let My Mind Be Free "Niggas be collapsing like Michael Jackson from my action" Get Rich or Die Tryin' 50 Cent Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003) Song: Patiently Waiting "You goin' against me dog, you makin' a mistake, I'll split ya Leave ya lookin' like the Michael Jackson jackets wit all them zippers I'm the boss on this boat, you can call me skipper The way I turn the money over, you should call me flipper" Piggy Bank 50 Cent Piggy Bank (2005) [Single] Y"ayo, bring the condoms, I'm in room 203 Freak bitch look like Kim before the surgery Its an emergency, a Michael Jackson see Looked at a picture and said she looks like me" Steelo Remix 702 Steelo Remix (1996) [Single] "Ask Michael Jackson who bad, He says I am but the queen not drag" Lonely Akon Tribute Song - Cry Out of Joy AKON - Tribute to Michael Jackson - CRY OUT FOR JOY + LYRICSference Michael Jackson

Here's a few more:

"Knocks You Down"- Keri Hilson feat. Ne-Yo and Kanye

(Kanye)

I was flying, now I'm crashing

This is bad, real bad, Michael Jackson

Now I'm mad, real mad, Joe Jackson

You should leave your boyfriend now, I'ma ask him

"Bedrock"- Young Money

(Lil Wayne)

She got that good good, Michael Jackson Bad

I'm attracted to her for her attractive ass

George Harrison has 2 songs about Smokey Robinson, Ooh Baby & Pure Smokey.

There's also When Smokey Sings by ABC. The remix mentions a few others: James Brown, Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye, Sly Stone

I feel that it would have to be James Brown, lyrically, direct name-checking, and referencing his style as an artist, especially by sampling. You have to know that every (real) hip hop artist referenced James Brown or a disciple of his.

Surely Prince would have to close to being the most mentioned.

dalboy2 said:

Songs referencing Bob Dylan Http://www.pastemagazine....dylan.html Yesterday, music fans across the world celebrated Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday. Somehow, “Happy Birthday” just doesn’t seem good enough to pay tribute to the legend on his big day, so we compiled 14 of our favorite tracks that name-check Mr. Zimmerman as a way of sending some belated well-wishes to the birthday boy. Check out the tracks below. 14. Syd Barrett — “Bob Dylan Blues” Got the Bob Dylan blues / And the Bob Dylan shoes / And my clothes and my hair’s a mess Not to be confused with “”Bob Dylan’s Blues. On this early track, the Pink Floyd frontman sings the praises of his musical hero. 13. Beastie Boys — “3 Minute Rule” A lot of parents like to think that I’m a villain / I’m just chillin’ like Bob Dylan We’re not exactly sure how one chills like Bob Dylan, but we’re pretty sure it somehow involves Victoria’s Secret models. 12. Minutemen — “Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs” Bob Dylan wrote propaganda songs / Bob Dylan wrote propaganda songs Short, sweet and to the point. 11. Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins — “The Charging Sky” So my mom, she brushes her hair / And my dad starts growing Bob Dylan’s beard It’s not the first reference to Mr. Dylan’s facial follicles in pop culture, but Lewis’ voice makes it one of the prettiest. 10. Jesus & Mary Chain — “Fizzy” Elvis lives and Bob Dylan is dead / And OJ’s wife’s crawling back from the dead The alt-rock titans conjure images of Americana by referencing two of the nation’s biggest musicians along with its most infamous sports hero-turned-suspected-murderer. We’re even willing to overlook the fact that they rhymed “dead” with “dead.” 9. Stephen Malkmus — “Jo Jo’s Jacket” Bob Dylan sang in / “it’s alright mama I’m only bleeding” / Everything from toy guns that spark to flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark Actor Yul Brenner also gets a shout-out in this tune from the Pavement singer. 8. David Bowie — “Song For Bob Dylan” Oh hear this Robert Zimmerman / I wrote a song for you / About a strange young man called Dylan / With a voice like sand and glue Bowie’s tribute to the prolific songwriter centers around two Dylans — young Robert Zimmerman and the artist he would eventually become. 7. The Who — “The Seeker” I asked Bobby Dylan/ I asked The Beatles / I asked Timothy Leary / But he couldn’t help me either Here, ol’ Bob is part of the ‘60s iconography that just can’t seem to help Roger Daltrey and company figure out the meaning of life. 6. Belle & Sebastian — “Like Dylan in the Movies” Don’t look back / Like Dylan in the movies / On your own A song about watching out for creeps in the park that also can be applied to watching out for Bob Dylan on your lawn. 5. Loudon Wainwright III — “Talking New Bob Dylan” Hey, Bob Dylan / I wrote you a song / Today is your birthday if I’m not wrong This tribute from one troubadour to another was written 20 years ago in honor of Dylan’s 50th birthday, but it still holds up today. 4. T. Rex — “Ballrooms of Mars” Bob Dylan knows / And I bet Alan Freed did / There are things in night that are better not to behold In which Marc Bolan asserts that Mr. Zimmerman has experience with unseemly nighttime activities, and we’re inclined to believe him. 3. Wilco — “Bob Dylan’s 49th Beard” And things got weird / And I started growing / Bob Dylan’s beard This gorgeous little ditty teaches us that when the going gets tough, the tough stop shaving. 2. Neil Young — “Bandit” You’re invisible, you’ve got too many secrets / Bob Dylan said that / Or somethin’ like that A gripping character study in which one folk-rock icon sorta quotes another. 1. John Lennon — “God” I don’t believe in Zimmerman / I don’t believe in Beatles / I just believe in me God may be “a concept by which we measure our pain” according to Lennon, but Bob Dylan is a songwriter against whom we measure anyone who’s followed, and he gets some prime real estate in this song, kicking off its most famous line.

The Beatles' "Yer Blues" contains the lyric:

The eagle picks my eye
The worm he licks my bone
I feel so suicidal
Just like Dylan's Mr. Jones

Dylan was my first thought, James Brown may eclipse him.

There's at least a few popular songs that mention Elvis too. The first one that comes to mind is not a compliment.

Prince name checks James Brown in Musicology.

kewlschool said:

tupac

james brown

biggie

http://prince.org/msg/8/399577

http://prince.org/msg/8/373551