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Why Michael Jackson Was Famous

4/9/2014

7 Comments

 
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by David Carus
Once in a while an artist comes along that changes everything. Michael Jackson was that kind of artist. His influence on popular culture continues to resonate and his legacy is as rock solid as they come. People will be talking about Michael Jackson for generations; but why? What was he able to do that set him apart? How did he go from intensely shy to the greatest entertainer in the world? He was so famous he couldn’t walk the streets of any country without people recognizing him. How did he do it? His story may surprise you.

Most people look at someone with talent and say things like, “He’s a natural,” or “He was born with that talent,” and in the case of Michael Jackson you’d be tempted to say these kinds of things. However, there is no talent gene or magic dust sprinkled on a few lucky folks. When you see talent, know that it is the result of practice alone, and in the case of Michael Jackson he had lots and lots of practice. He not only had to work hard to sing and dance like he did, but he had to fight his way in from a very young age. Many people remember he got his start performing with his brothers in the Jackson 5, but he was never supposed to be in the group. His older brothers wanted to form a band and make music and when young Michael came into their bedroom, they’d kick him out. He was too young, just a kid. But he kept knocking on the door and eventually he became part of the group when they heard him sing. He had music around him his whole life. His father was a musician and his tight knit family always had music around and he’d been listening and learning.

The Jackson 5 didn’t explode onto the national scene right away. They performed lots of shows, practiced to get better and worked hard to get signed to Motown Records. Once there, Michael Jackson became surrounded by musical greats like Diana Ross, James Brown, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and others who all influenced him. As a child he got a priceless education, recording and performing during one of music’s greatest eras. His career wasn’t founded on natural born talent or luck, it was the result of study, practice and hard work. And what makes it even more incredible is the fact that Michael Jackson was one of the shyest people you’d ever meet. He’d spend so many hours practicing that by the time he went on stage he completely owned it, exuding tons of confidence.

Michael Jackson achieved great success performing with his brothers but no one could have foreseen just how successful his solo career would be. One of the key factors in his success, aside from the hours he devoted to his craft, was writing his own material and consciously creating his image. Michael Jackson and his brothers had been restricted at Motown. They were told which songs to record and never got the chance to produce their own music. By the time Michael went on his own, he believed in his ability to write songs and determine the course of his career. He was the one that chose to work with Quincy Jones and from his first album “Off The Wall,” music would never be the same again. The follow-up “Thriller” would sweep the Grammy’s and go on to sell more copies than any album ever had. He went on to dominate music and change its entire landscape.

How was this achieved? Michael Jackson had a vision. He knew what he wanted to create and all those years of hard work and practice paid off. This didn’t mean now he then coasted and took it easy. He worked even harder, spending countless hours recording and performing to give the world what we now know as Michael Jackson. This image was his total creation. From the fedora hats and sparkling glove to the groundbreaking videos and moonwalk, Michael Jackson knew what he wanted and made it happen. There were no favors, no back room dealings, no luck, no connections, just 100% working on art. Michael Jackson chose to be an artist and achieved such phenomenal fame because he dreamed more, imagined better, worked harder and practiced longer than most people dare to do. The next time you watch him effortlessly glide across a dance floor understand all of the effort that went into making it happen. There’s no reason you can’t moonwalk like Michael Jackson. You just need to practice.

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7 Comments
Lenette
4/10/2014 08:41:21 am

I'm glad you wrote this, my last thought of Micheal was his overdose which is not how I want to remember him. You touched on so many good things about him and how he lot up the stage and made people feel great, and that's the Image I want to remember about him. He was a grand artist, a superstar.

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fdfsh link
2/11/2015 02:52:43 am

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Lucille Femine link
6/26/2017 04:55:22 am

Great article, David. Absolute truth and very inspiring, as you always are

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MJJJusticeProject link
9/14/2017 08:08:21 pm

Michael Jackson was the perfect definition of an Outlier -- A book has been written by Malcolm Gladwell entititled "Outliers:The Story of Success" - In it he writes that if anyone wants to become the best in any feild they must invest at least 10,000 hours of practice- Michael Jackson had a goal to be the greatest entertainer that ever lived and thus far no one has been able to challenge his success. He didn't simply raise the bar, he IS the bar for other artists.

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Sures link
1/11/2019 11:42:37 am

Please take a look at this man called Arfq Hrhr (Hussain): https://sites.google.com/view/arfaq-hrh/
Who's using Michaels Jackson name to get in contact with people and get contracts with them but not doing anything, only asking for money! Be carefful! Have no business with Arfaq Hrh, you'll lose all your money and get nothing done in any deals!
Help to shout out the problem!

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FDFSH
5/8/2019 06:46:38 am

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MckimmeCue link
1/17/2022 08:47:22 am

Great article! Thank you for sharing this informative post, and looking forward to the latest one.
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    David Carus

    I'm David Carus. From overcoming one of the most dangerous cities in the country and graduating from one of the most prestigious colleges in America to leading an educational movement as a teacher and running for Congress at the age of 25, I decided the best hope our world has is through art.

    From my days at Georgetown University performing spoken word poetry to later recording hip hop music under my own record company to writing books such as "Hip Hop Will Save The World," I have created this website and blog to help positive-minded artists and creators be successful.

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