Michael Jackson became a liaison for the culture, and helped propel hip-hop dance into the mainstream culture. Michael Jackson became a liaison for the culture, and helped propel hip-hop dance into the mainstream culture. 

The world lost a one-of-a kind musical genius on Thursday June 25th, when the legendary Michael Jackson passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest.  As his fans mourn, no one can deny the musical legacy he leaves behind.  One of the contributions he made to the music industry that is often overlooked is his gift to the Hip-Hop community. 

Michael Jackson helped open doors to Black music which, without his impact, would have made it hard for a genre like Hip-Hop to become a mainstream phenomenon. During the early 1980’s, when cable television was still in its developmental stage, there were few outlets for musicians to have their music heard, outside of the radio industry.  Few radio stations, including Black radio, allowed Hip-Hop music into their format. 
    
Due to the lack of radio airplay, it was difficult for Hip-Hop to develop mainstream stars.  It was not cost effective for Hip-Hop record labels to produce albums for their artists because of its lack of promotion.  So Hip-Hop had a difficult time progressing from a 12” single genre.

Cable television created a new form of media for record labels to promote their artists.  Previously a record label had to rely on heavy radio airplay and concert promotion to get a buzz for a new artist, now the public could be introduced to a new artist via the music video.  This brought the artist into the viewer’s living room on a daily basis, and allowed the fan to develop a more intimate portrait of the artist.

Early in the burgeoning stage of Hip-Hop’s development, the art form was nurtured at street jams, block parties, and small nightclubs.  Record labels soon realized that video could increase exposure for an artist, and this translated into skyrocketing record sales.  But Hip-Hop did not have a video program. 

Public access television programs, such as New York city’s Video Music Box, were the only video shows that showcased rap music. Black Entertainment Television, or BET, which was founded in 1980, did not play rap music until the mid-1980s. Michael Jackson had been a household name ever since he and his brothers, collectively known as the Jackson 5, hit the scene. 

By 1979, Jackson was recording his solo album, “Off the Wall.”  His first video was for the song “Don’t Stop Till you Get Enough.” Jackson also released videos for songs “Rock With You”, and “She’s Out of My Life.”  But he found it difficult to get his videos played on cable television’s biggest video program, Music Television, better known as MTV. 

At that time, MTV, which first aired on August 1, 1981, rarely played Black artists on their daily rotation.
With the release of his Thriller album in November of 1982, Jackson took the video age into a whole new area.  Jackson released videos that were quantum leaps beyond what other artists were developing at that time. 

He turned his videos into mini movies, and had fans clamoring to see them.  Jackson became the first black artist to get played in heavy rotation on MTV.  He effectively broke down the color barrier in the music video industry, and opened the door for black artists to gain exposure to a crossover market. 

This allowed artists, such as Run-DMC, The Fat Boys, and Public Enemy, to gain access to millions of white fans.  Thanks to Jackson’s groundbreaking efforts, Rap music began to realize its massive crossover appeal. Jackson also helped diffuse breakdancing into American mainstream culture. 

Before Jackson displayed his signature move on Motown’s 25th Anniversary television special, most Americans had never seen the Moonwalk, a move created by Hip-Hop b-boys in the 1970s.  Jackson became a liaison for the culture, and helped propel hip-hop dance into the mainstream culture.  He helped create a market for hip-hop dancers to find work in movies, theatre, and music videos.

In the end, Michael Jackson did more for the advancement of pop culture than any other musical artist.  He was a trendsetter, a visionary, and a cultural gateway for generations of music lovers, but what may have been overlooked has been his contribution to Hip-Hop music.  Michael Jackson, R.I.P.