Legends Of The Week: Whitney Houston & Michael Jackson

This weeks Legends of the week is Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.

There is no doubt that these two natural born entertainers had inspired our generation of entertainers we see on stage today, from R. Kelly to Leona Lewis to Chris Brown.

Firstly, "The Voice" aka Whitney Houston

All you had to do was give her a mic and a light and she will slay. She didn't need dancers or to be dressed half naked to keep her audience focused, no, all she had to do was sing; and she sang so effortlessly. We name her "The Voice" because no other woman could sing like she did. Not Mariah Carey. Not Leona Lewis. Even though they are probably the only two singers who could do her song justice, It wasn't the same because they don't have what Whitney had. She also ventured into an acting career with her first role being in The Bodyguard where she appeared as a singer who was protected by Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner), a former agent-turned-bodyguard. It was a huge success and it was accompanied by a soundtrack which went onto become the "best-selling soundtrack of ALL time" with over 42 million copies sold worldwide. She then went on to act in three other films: Waiting to Exhale, The Preacher's Wife and Cinderella. 

Sadly towards the late 90s to mid 2000s, her personal affairs started to overshadow her career. Her drug problems with her husband became constant headlines around the world, worrying her fans whether she will ever make a comeback to music but she found a light in 2006 when she divorced Bobby Brown and checked into rehab. In 2009, she was interviewed by Oprah, admitting that she had used drugs on a regular basis during her marriage with Bobby and revealed that she was clean. She later released her highly anticipated comeback album, I Look To You with leading singles, Million Dollar Bill and I Look to You. The album was followed by a worldwide tour, but it received negative reviews from critics and upset fom fans because it was clear that her demons had got the better of her. At this point, most musicians would accept that there is no future for their career and go and hide within the shadows but not with Whitney. It was announced that she would go on to revive her career in drama and theater and appear in soon-to-be-released Sparkle, a loosely based story on The Supremes. After completing her scenes she hid behind closed doors, taking a break away from the spotlight to spend time with her only daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

 Unfortunately, "The Voice" could not be with us any longer. A day before the Grammy Awards and the same day as Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party, she was found in the bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 11th 2012 and was pronounced dead at the scene. :'(

Secondly, "The Entertainer" aka Michael Jackson

Need I say more? This is Michael Jackson, THE Michael Jackson. Nobody was better at entertaining than Micheal Jackson. Nobody could dance like Michael Jackson did. Nobody could write songs like Michael Jackson did. Who could stand on stage for two minutes and slay a performance before they've started performing? Nobody but Michael Jackson.

Beginning his career at just 5 years old, Michael never really had a childhood or a personal life for that matter as his whole life was placed in the spotlight along with his career. Starting off with his brothers in a band called The Jackson 5, there was no doubt that it was already known that Michael Jackson was a natural born star and a stand-out in the band though he was the baby of the family. As time progressed and his stardom grew, he went solo and released ten studio albums including Thriller which continues to hold the title of "best selling album of ALL time" with over 100 million albums sold. He won hundred's of awards and accolades and participated in a short-lived acting career as Scarecrow in The Wiz. Sadly, controversy surrounding his career caused by the media became top news over many years with many labeling him as "Wacko Jacko" due to his suspicious behavior in public and the vile child sex abuse allegations made against him. Though this overshadowed his career, his fans had always believed in him through out his time of need and hoped that he would so make a comeback eventually and who knew that wishes could come true as it was him himself who announced to the world at London's very own O2 Arena that he would embark on his last series of dates in London only. Tickets had sold within an hour causing websites to crash within the first few seconds. It broke the record for fastest selling tickets held for a concert even his album sales increased since the announcement.

Sadly, three weeks prior to probably the highest anticipated comeback since cheese and bread, his time here came to an unexpected end. After a crazy 45 years of living as a superstar, on 25th June 2009, Michael passed away at the age of 50 after suffered cardiac arrest in his home in Los Angeles.

If it wasn't for these two legends, I don't know who would of broken the barriers for black musicians today. Both Michael and Whitney had broken down the doors of darkness and shone a light through them allowing the likes of Beyonce and Chris Brown to present their talent to the world of many races. I don't know one female singer out today who wasn't inspired by Whitney's angelic voice; it was every little girls dream to be like Whitney. I remember when I was younger and I Will Always Love You played on the radio or TV I would sit on the corner of the coffee table and sing/mime as if to say I was Whitney *embarrassed face* lol but admit it you probably did that at least once in your life and if you haven't you should, it makes u feel like a superstar..hehehe.

Anyways, back to the topic, same goes for Michael Jackson, there is not one artist I have listened to who hasn't been influenced by MJ from Notorious B.I.G to Trey Songz. The way he carried himself on stage and would shut the place down within a heartbeat would take your break away especially knowing that he had a shy personality with a loving heart (duhh, he was a Virgo like me). Its unfortunate millions (including myself) never got to see him in the flesh.

 Thank-you Quincy Jones and Clive Davis for finding the saviors of black music because without them, who knows what kind of music we would be listening to today. Also, thank-you lord for blessing them with the extraordinary talent but mainly thanks to Michael and Whitney for having the confidence to show the world and many generations that 'anything is possible'. No matter what, you will ALWAYS be crowned the KING and QUEEN Of Pop Music.

Watch some of their classics below:

Queen Of Pop:

King Of Pop:

"We Will Always Love You"