Michael Jackson’s legacy still shapes music, culture and careers

Sixteen years ago today, on June 25, 2009, the world stood still. Michael Joseph Jackson — The King of Pop — died suddenly at age 50.

His voice, vision and unmatched creativity remain unmatched, and although he left the earthly stage, his impact still reverberates through every corner of the entertainment world. From redefining the music video to influencing generations of creatives, MJ didn’t just change music, he reshaped global culture.

“He elevated the music video into an art form.”

Michael Jackson’s videos weren’t just promotional tools; they were cinematic events. He elevated the music video into an art form, making it a cultural stage where actors, dancers, models and even unknown talents could break through. Take Wesley Snipes, who played opposite Jackson in Bad (1987). His performance in that gritty subway standoff put him on Hollywood’s radar. Years later, Snipes would lead action films and become a Black superhero trailblazer in Blade.

Few remember that Tyra Banks, now a supermodel and media mogul, made one of her first major screen appearances as Michael’s love interest in Black or White (1991). The same video also featured Naomi Campbell, another global icon, who later co-starred in In the Closet, a sultry and mysterious short film/music video that turned heads and set fashion standards.

Dancers like Bruno “Pop N Taco” Falcon, famed for his electric boogaloo style in Smooth Criminal, and Sybil Azur, whose performances in Ghosts (1997) and Blood on the Dance Floor showed off world-class choreography, owe their international recognition to MJ’s stage. E. Casanova Evans, known for mimicking Jackson’s style and eventually starring in his stage performances, carried the torch of MJ’s physical expression long after his death.

And let’s not forget Michael DeLorenzo, co-star of New York Undercover, who appeared in Beat It and later Bad. These weren’t just cameos — MJ cast these talents in roles of depth, dignity and flair, making his videos into global showcases of emerging Black and Latino excellence.

Michael didn’t work alone. He surrounded himself with legends:

• John Landis (Thriller, Black or White), director of the Thriller short film, now in the Library of Congress
• Martin Scorsese (Bad) – Yes, the Oscar-winning crime and drama legend directed the Bad video
• Spike Lee (They Don’t Care About Us, This Is It, Bad 25), whose work helped elevate Jackson’s political and social messages to cinematic levels
• David Fincher (Who Is It?), the director behind Fight Club and The Social Network brought his signature darkness to Jackson’s emotional track
• Stan Winston (Ghosts), the legendary SFX guru who worked on Jurassic Park and The Terminator co-wrote and co-directed Ghosts with MJ
• Nick Brandt, who captured the haunting beauty of Earth Song and Stranger in Moscow
• Paul Hunter (You Rock My World), known for directing genre-bending hip-hop and pop videos, brought MJ back to a new generation

MJ also collaborated with powerhouse producers like Quincy Jones, who co-produced Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. Together, they set new standards for pop production. Teddy Riley helped Jackson usher in the New Jack Swing era with Dangerous, and Rod Temperton wrote timeless tracks like “Rock with You” and “Thriller.”

Here are 16 facts about MJ’s music innovations you may not know:

1. Thriller was the first music video to be inducted into the Library of Congress.
2. MJ’s Smooth Criminal “anti-gravity lean” was enabled by a patented shoe he co-created.
3. Thriller is the only album in history with seven Top 10 Billboard singles.
4. MJ was the first Black artist to receive heavy MTV rotation, with Billie Jean.
5. He introduced morphing video effects in Black or White.
6. Ghosts is the longest music video ever at 39 minutes — written with Stephen King.
7. He inspired more than 250,000 dancers to break world records for “Thriller” flash mobs worldwide.
8. Earth Song became one of the biggest anthems about environmental justice globally.
9. He revolutionized world tours with stadium-level spectacle, lighting and stagecraft.
10. MJ’s Dangerous World Tour was the highest-grossing tour by a solo artist at the time.
11. He was a co-owner of The Beatles’ music publishing catalog through ATV.
12. We Are the World, which he co-wrote, raised more than $60 million for humanitarian relief.
13. MJ donated more than $300 million to global charities, making him one of the most philanthropic artists in history.
14. Scream, his duet with Janet, was the most expensive music video ever made at the time ($7 million).
15. MJ helped MTV become a dominant cultural force; they wouldn’t play Black artists until Billie Jean.
16. He was posthumously the most-Googled person in 2009 and remains one of the most-streamed artists today.

Today, MJ: The Musical on Broadway plays to sold-out crowds. Artists from Beyoncé to The Weeknd, Usher, Chris Brown, and BTS still draw directly from MJ’s sound, style and stagecraft. His Thriller jacket is a Halloween staple. TikTok challenges mirror his footwork. And producers still analyze the mixing and layering of Human Nature and Man in the Mirror as textbook perfect.

Jackson remains timeless because his vision was ahead of time.

Michael Jackson was more than a musician. He was a producer’s dream, a director’s challenge, an artist’s ideal. His music wasn’t just listened to; it was studied, felt and lived. Sixteen years later, his absence is still felt, but his presence never has been stronger. He was a cultural meteor, whose light still guides.

May we never forget that long before social media made virality easy, Michael Jackson made impact inevitable.

 

Edmond W. Davis is a social historian, retired history professor, a socioemotional intelligence expert and author of multiple historical texts, including works on the Tuskegee Airmen. He is a former director of the Derek Olivier Research Institute for the Prevention of Gun Violence. Davis is also the founder of the National HBCU Black Wall Street Career Fest. He is an Amazon No. 1 author and international speaker on leadership.