The ‘King of Pop’ is dead, long live the ‘King’

Years after his death in 1977, Elvis Presley is still referred to as the “King of Rock and Roll.” But there really hasn’t been one person who can make a claim to the post-Elvis throne, even though many groups have found success since his passing.

When Michael Jackson died last week, chances are his “King of Pop” title didn’t die with him. He will still retain that honor among his multitude of admirers.

Although rock tends to anoint groups as royalty, pop leans more toward the singular. Relatively speaking, pop groups have a shorter shelf life than pop individuals.

So with Michael gone, who becomes the new reigning “King of Pop”? Even though the title will always be associated with Michael Jackson, for practical purposes, who will step forward and become the top pop artist in the world?

“I had this argument on Twitter on Sunday,” said Toure, a music journalist and pop culture critic. “I think that Beyonce is heir to the throne, if you can consider anyone.

“It’s important to clarify that this is not a comparison between Beyonce and Michael Jackson. It’s a comparison to Beyonce and everyone else who is alive today. It’s a comparison of her and her competitors.”

MTV helped make 'Thriller' a phenomenon
The trouble with any “King of Pop” handicapping is that 2009 represents a vastly different era from, say, 1982, when Jackson’s “Thriller” exploded upon the pop consciousness.

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“The level of stardom that Michael obtained is no longer viable in the music business because people aren’t selling albums like that,” Toure said. Estimates vary wildly, but it is believed that somewhere between 50 and 100 million copies of “Thriller” have been sold to date.

“When Michael was hot in the ‘80s, MTV was a huge part of American pop culture,” Toure added. “It was the No. 1 radio station. MTV played Michael Jackson in heavy rotation, more than 100 times a week. That galvanized a nation to go out and focus on him.”

Toure believes that in this vastly different climate, Beyonce qualifies as perhaps the next King or Queen of Pop because “She’s one of the top 10 black movie stars in Hollywood, she’s had three multi-platinum albums, she’s liked by black and white people.”

Elliott Wilson, founder and CEO of RapRadar.com, recognizes that the music business is different. What he looks for in the next “King of Pop” is someone who actually changes it by his or her mere presence.

“To me what has gotten lost is that, with Michael’s great success with ‘Thriller,’ he built a whole new industry,” Wilson explained. “He changed the business. Obviously the next person will have to change the business model for selling records.

“We’ve yet to have a music star icon who represents this generation.”

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