Michael Jackson is arguably the greatest performer and musician to ever live. So it’s no shock that many people have tried to mimic his singing, dance moves, style, and stage performance. When you’re the best, it’s inevitable that people copy you…maybe even try to BE you…
Here are five people that copied the King of Pop in one way or another…to the point that they nearly tried to be him…
Corey Feldman
Corey Feldman is probably the most extreme example on this list. Honestly, it’s as if he actually believes he’s Michael Jackson sometimes. He’s mimicked MJ in videos, in song, and has emulated his appearance from his clothing to his hairstyle while out in public… Corey might be having a bit of an identity crisis… Seriously…
Chris Brown
When Chris Brown burst onto the scene as a teenager, he immediately drew comparisons to Michael Jackson, mainly for his first in class dance moves. That all changed after the Rihanna incident after that Chris picked up more of a bad boy image and style. That still didn’t stop him from expertly channeling Michael’s dance moves and style in a tearful BET tribute performance after the King of Pops untimely death. The performance was very moving and helped Chris redeem a bit of his previous popularity.
Usher
R&B singer Usher Raymond has always cited Michael Jackson as a source of inspiration, but he took that a step further when in a 2009 interview with MTV News he said of Michael Jackson: “He influenced me in so many ways, more than just music… as a humanitarian, as a philanthropist, as an artist, as an individual who transcended culture. I wouldn’t be who I am today without Michael Jackson.” That’s deep. We can obviously hear MJ’s influence in Usher’s music and see him in Usher’s expert dance moves. But this is far more than Michael Jackson being a musical inspiration; this is active life and ideology modeling.
Lil Kim
Over the years rapper, Lil Kim has gotten lighter and lighter… Most believe that she’s bleaching her skin… Now I’m not saying that Michael Jackson was bleaching his skin and that’s why his complexion lightened significantly over the years. But we all know it was a widespread rumor and assumption that he was doing some form of skin lightening. I’m just saying… Lil Kim insistence on lightening her skin seems to be at the least influenced by Michael Jackson since the popularity of doing this was triggered by his rumored skin bleaching.
Justin Timberlake
In the early 2000’s we knew Justin Timberlake simply as one of the lead singers of boy band N’Sync… That all changed when he released his first single “Like I Love You” in October 2002. If you watch the video, it’s clear that Timberlake was drawing more than just a little inspiration from Jackson. His vocals, his dance moves, and the scenario played out in the video were all Jackson-esqe. As a side note, in a 2014 interview, Timberlake revealed that Michael Jackson was the first person to suggest that he should go solo. Timberlake goes on to say that his solo career is owed to a Michael Jackson.
Conclusion
Michael Jackson is a legend and irreplaceable talent. That doesn’t mean that people won’t mimic the things they liked most about his persona, singing, style, dance moves, or stage performance. As most of these entertainers would tell you he has had a significant impact on their career and this is how they help keep his legacy alive. Michael was always appreciative of this so I think he would be proud.
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