michael jackson
The Most Influential Artists: #19 Michael Jackson
As part of our 35th anniversary, we’re naming the most influential artists of the past 35 years. Today, we’re at #19. From Gary, Indiana, here is Michael Jackson. Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images It’s easy to lose sight of Michael Jackson’s artistic accomplishments, given the sheer scale of his commercial success. Just as Star Wars did for film and Harry Potter did for publishing, Thriller changed its industry in a million ways, expanding the possibilities of how many people could buy an album and how much money could be made from music. But the singer’s raw talent and showmanship, the craft he honed since childhood, provided the spark that ignited everything else. In the Jackson 5 and on his early solo albums, Michael Jackson was a prodigy with an infectious ebullience in his v...
Just A Gent Flips Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” Into Ferocious Trap Anthem
With Halloween on the horizon, EDM fans are about to dive into a buffet of massive, spooky music from producers all over the world. It’s a time when artists reach into the shadowy depths of their sound banks to come up with the darkest and most heavy-hitting tracks to commemorate the spooky season. Enter Just A Gent, the prodigious electronic music producer who has just released a monster flip of the late Michael Jackson‘s legendary “Thriller.” There is perhaps no bass music producer more fitting to remix a song of this magnitude due to the Australian wunderkind’s ability to create hypnotic yet punishing sound design. Just A Gent’s approach here is shrewd, as he opts for a brooding intro that uses the frightful foley of Jackson’s original...
Eddie Van Halen Guitars, Smashed Kurt Cobain Guitar to Be Auctioned
Two of the late Eddie Van Halen’s iconic guitars — his custom-designed, red-and-white-striped, stage-used 2004 EVH Charvel Art Series, and a black-and-white striped Fender Stratocaster-style headstock numbered on the back #54 — are going on the auction block. Each guitar is estimated to sell between $40,000 – $80,000 at the Icons & Idols Trilogy: Rock ‘N’ Roll annual music auction on Dec. 4 and 5, live at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills and online here. The event will span over 700 historic artifacts of every genre, including items from the Beatles, Johnny Cash, Jim Morrison, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Guns N’ Roses, Little Richard, Cher, and many more. In 1991, the Charvel Art Series guitar with the red body, below, was gifted to Van Halen’s friend Bryan Cash, the o...
Eddie Van Halen’s 10 Best Solos
When the Van Halen brothers started playing music together in Pasadena in the 1960s, Alex played guitar with younger brother Eddie on drums and it was Alex’s growing prowess on drums that led them to switch instruments. From those humble beginnings, the duo formed their eponymous band with Eddie Van Halen becoming one of the most celebrated rock guitarists of all time. Eddie Van Halen, who died on Tuesday at the age of 65, was the rare innovator who was equal parts showman and scientist, a notorious perfectionist who married his explosive displays of technique to irresistible pop songs and was more thrilling to watch than any stage pyrotechnics. In celebration of his remarkable career, here are Eddie Van Halen’s 10 best solos, with and without his band, and on and off the guitar. 10. “Jump...
A-Trak Shares Preview and Astonishing Story of a Remix for Michael Jackson That “Will Never Come Out”
A-Trak took to Twitter yesterday, July 14th, to share the astonishing story behind an official remix he produced for the the King of Pop, which he admits “will never come out.” “Back in 2012, I got asked to do a Michael Jackson remix for the 25th anniversary of Bad,” A-Trak wrote. “They said I could pick any track on the album.” He goes on to say that he chose Jackson’s legendary single “Smooth Criminal,” which appeared on the late artist’s seminal studio album Bad, before teaming up with Oliver to flesh out the remix. When music producers are tapped for a remix, the original artist simply sends the DAW project file or the song’s stems in a Zip archive. This exchange is somewhat perilous, though, since it leaves a digit...
Kanye West Praises Michael Jackson in New Interview With Pharrell Williams
In a new interview with i-D, Kanye West spoke with fellow studio wizard and Neptunes mastermind Pharrell Williams, comparing his own impact to that of Michael Jackson. “It felt like you really tore down the walls and the doors much like Michael Jackson did a generation before, and in a way, he’s very similar to Michael Jackson, in the ways where Michael Jackson was doing covert, super gangsta stuff, like he’d just pop the needles off,” West said during their conversation. “He kissed Elvis Presley’s daughter on MTV. Black culture used to be… we used to be fronting all night, but Michael was doing stuff that was different to what we were programmed to understand as being what we should do.” And after the compliment, West spoke on Jackson’s influence, later drawing parallels between thei...
How music legend Majek Fashek passed on
Legendary reggae artiste, Majekodunmi Fasheke, aka Majek Fashek is dead. The artiste died in a New York hospital after a protracted illness on Monday about 5:45pm. He was aged 71. His manager, Uzoma Omenka, confirmed this in a video uploaded on the late singer’s Instagram handle. “Yes, it is true that the legend has gone to be with the Lord. But this time I want to say we should all celebrate him, his achievements. He has done a lot for Nigeria and for Africa. Whatever the family decides, I will get it to you. This is all I have to say for now.” He said. Fashek, who battled a mysterious protracted illness had been down since 2019 and was at a time on admission at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woolwich in England . Fashek was born in Benin-City, Edo state to an Ijesha father and a Benin mot...
Nigerian celebrities mourn deceased Majek Fashek
Nigerian celebrities have taken to their social media platforms to mourn the death of Music Legend, Majekodunmi Fasheke, a.k.a Majek Fashek. Fashek’s a.k.a rain maker’s death was announced by his manager, Omenka Uzoma, through a short video on his instagram page. Some of the celebrities include Chibuzor Azubuike a.k.a Phyno, Olanrewaju Fasasi, a.k.a Sound Sultan displayed the reggae artist pictures on their Instagram pages. Other include Yomi Black, Bimbo Esho, actress Toyin Adegbola and Jude Okoye were not equally left out. Phyno wrote: “Rest in peace, Legend.” Sound Sultan had this on his page: “Rest in peace, power Majek.” Yomi Black wrote:” Rest in peace, Majek Fashek.” Also, Bimbo Esho, Chief Executive Officer, Evergreen Musical Company, mourned the late reggae maestro as she wrote ” ...
Nigerian Reggae Music Icon, Majek Fashek Dies in New York at Age 71 | Rest in Peace Legend!
Majekodunmi Fasheke, popularly known as Majek Fashek is Dead! The Reggae musician, Majek Fashek born in 1949 has died at the age of 71 in New York, USA. In the late 80s and early 90s, Majek Fashek was a top reggae act both in Nigeria and Africa. He was also one of the earliest Nigerian music stars to get an international record deal and also make appearances on American TV shows where he performed. Majek’s 1988 album ‘Prisoner of Conscience’ and the single ‘Send Down the Rain’ became a major hit worldwide and garnered multiple awards, including Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria’s album of the year in 1989. It was followed by ‘So Long for Too Long’ in 1991, which incorporated haunting vocals with the artist’s captivating rhythm. The musician also known as The Rainmaker, has w...
Madonna Ripped for Posting Son’s George Floyd Dance Tribute
Madonna is facing backlash on social media after sharing a tweet and Instagram video yesterday that many fans saw as distasteful. Following the death of George Floyd — the 46-year-old black man killed by a white Minneapolis police officer on May 25 — and the protests taking place in Minneapolis, the pop star posted a two-minute clip of her son David Banda dancing to Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care About Us.” The tweet shows Banda, whom Madonna adopted from Malawi, showcasing Jackson’s moves from the 1995 music video. Madonna’s tweet reads “Brutal murder travels around the world my son David Dances to honor and pay tribute to George and His Family and all Acts of Racism and Discrimination that happen on a daily basis in America. #davidbanda #JusticeforGeorgeFloyd #MichaelJackson.” Many T...
