Billie Jean, the music video that broke the color barrier for black artists, has now reached a new milestone. As of Thursday morning, Jackson’s groundbreaking short film directed by Steve Barron has reached 1 Billion views on YouTube.

When MTV first launched in 1981, there was no sight of videos featuring Black artists. In fact, the network never once showcased African Americans until Michael came along. Not only did Jackson’s Billie Jean became the first video by an African American artist to be played on MTV; it received the highest rotations of airplay, sparking a higher demand for the others on this list.


Of course, Walter Yetnikoff is also to thank for getting the video played on air. The president of Jackson’s record company CBS Records became enraged when MTV refused to play the video and threatened to go public with MTV's stance on racial discrimination. "I said to MTV, 'I'm pulling everything we have off the air, all our product. I'm not going to give you any more videos. And I'm going to go public, and tell them about the fact you don't want to play music by a black guy.'"

The threats from Jackson’s studio exec paid off, both for Jackson and his black counterparts. On March 10, 1983, MTV played Billie Jean for the first time and forever changed the course of its music programming in the process. The rest, as they say, was history.

In 1992, the short film was inducted into the Music Video Producers Hall of Fame and was later ranked as the 35th greatest music video in a list compiled by MTV and TV Guide at the millennium.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi_XLOBDo_Y

Source: https://www.thebeat925.ca/news/showbiz/403491/michael-jacksons-groundbreaking-music-video-for-billie-jean-reaches-a-new-milestone

Cc lalasticlala mynd44 Dominique

Sorry i have to take the spot for first to comment but i must contribute because Micheal is king.

If Micheal jackson was to have came out in this our generation, 90% of his songs will reach 100 billion YouTube views.

He will have Instagram followers of more than 10 billion people.

His combined social media followers will be 90% of the world population.

He was and remains the undisputed king of music forever and ever

No contest

Haters spew your rubbish

Belial06:
He was and remains the undisputed king of music forever and ever

No contest

Haters spew your rubbish

No musician dead or alive can best Micheal jackson's success.

Royalties, presidents of different countries all invited him just to see him in person.

If the news went viral that Micheal jackson was to land in a city, that day the city is automatically on holiday, no school, no business activities. Everybody goes to the airport to wait for him and follow his convoy straight to his hotel, they even set up camps in front of his hotels just to see him wave at them from his hotel window.

Mj still making money, even after his death.

CardiNice:
No musician dead or alive can best Micheal jackson's success.

Royalties, presidents of different countries all invited him just to see him in person.

If the news went viral that Micheal jackson was to land in a city, that day the city is automatically on holiday, no school, no business activities. Everybody goes to the airport to wait for him and follow his convoy straight to his hotel, they even set up camps in front of his hotels just to see him wave at them from his hotel window.

No doubt
He remains king. He was given a gift no other human will ever possess again

This guy really fvck up black excellence,in my own view 2pac makaveli is way ahead of you.

M.j is unexplainable, I wonder if he is a living being or an elient from another planet.

1 billion since

fuckingAyaya:
This guy really fvck up black excellence,in my own view 2pac makaveli is way ahead of you.

No offence but saying 2pac is ahead of Micheal Jackson is an insult to human nature as a whole.

You deserve to be locked up in Guatemala.

Behold the king of pop

CardiNice:
No offence but saying 2pac is ahead of Micheal Jackson is an insult to human nature as a whole.

You deserve to be locked up in Guatemala.

for bleaching his skin color to be please the white people that later set him up and killed him I can never rate him above bob marley and Amaru shakur the world can but not me.so you can hug transformer

fuckingAyaya:
for bleaching his skin color to be please the white people that later set him up and killed him I can never rate him above bob marley and Amaru shakur the world can but not me.so you can hug transformer

Micheal Jackson didn't bleach his skin color.
He had a skin problem called vitiligo which causes White patches to his skin.
The only solution for vitiligo Is to use lightening cream to cover the white patches.
So it is not fair when people accuses him of changing his skin without them knowing the True story.

After 2 Centuries Huh?

CardiNice:
Micheal Jackson didn't bleach his skin color.
He had a skin problem called vitiligo which causes White patches to his skin.
The only solution for vitiligo Is to use lightening cream to cover the white patches.
So it is not fair when people accuses him of changing his skin without them knowing the True story.

what about his artificial hairs/weavon and plastic nose ?

fuckingAyaya:
what about his artificial hairs/weavon and plastic nose ?

When he was doing a Pepsi advert, a fire accident happened that made his hair caught fire, you can watch YouTube videos to confirm.
He was taken to the hospital and his hair was damaged so he had to start putting on wigs.

His nose was not plastic, he only did surgery on his nose because of bullying and body shaming most especially from his whole father.
At a young age, he was told his nose was too big and that had a phycological effect on him.
If you truly know the story of Micheal Jackson and not the lies the media is telling you. You will feel pity for him on how he suffered media scrutiny.

1 billion since how many years
Pangolo goat!
Fireboy is clear

CardiNice:
When he was doing a Pepsi advert, a fire accident happened that made his hair caught fire, you can watch YouTube videos to confirm.
He was taken to the hospital and his hair was damaged so he had to start putting on wigs.

His nose was not plastic, he only did surgery on his nose because of bullying and body shaming most especially from his whole father.
At a young age, he was told his nose was too big and that had a phycological effect on him.
If you truly know the story of Micheal Jackson and not the lies the media is telling you. You will feel pity for him on how he suffered media scrutiny.

all this things ain't enough reason to displease ur self to please the society,and again ask urself is he the only person with vitiligo? There are many people with vitiligo in the world, that doesn't warrant u bleaching ur skin

fuckingAyaya:
all this things ain't enough reason to displease ur self to please the society,and again ask urself is he the only person with vitiligo? There are many people with vitiligo in the world, that doesn't warrant u bleaching ur skin

It's actually funny how you think you're in a position to tell people with certain conditions how to manage. Bro, he had vitiligo, you don't have vitiligo. You're not really in a position to tell him how to manage his skin condition. The people you mentioned who live with vitiligo might not have the resources for such an extensive surgery. They don't have a gigantic career at stake. Even the 2Pac and co., there's no telling the decisions they'd have taken if they had such a disease. You don't really know the decisions you'd take in certain circumstances until you find yourself in those circumstances.

Micheal was already a star before the vitiligo went all over his body and his was acute (I don't know if you know how beastly that can make someone look). Instead of abruptly ending his promising career and declining into a lifetime of self pity and depression, ​he opted for a surgery that would give him another shot at a fulfilled life. Micheal had other surgeries like nose work and hair straightening to fit into his new skin color and these might not be some of his best decisions as things were never the same for him, but it did not stop him from going on to become the king of pop. Only sentiments could make anyone deny this. He got to the point he was before his death cause he never gave up in his quest for greatness against all odds.

I don't think it would be ideal for us to sit in the comfort of our homes and tell people what they should have done with thier lives. Our education is a waste if we're so emotionally attached to our race, country, religion, etc. to the point where empathy and objectivity become secondary considerations.

Just an opinion.

MJ the King of Pop, Smooth Criminal still my fav video.

RIP legend

CardiNice:
When he was doing a Pepsi advert, a fire accident happened that made his hair caught fire, you can watch YouTube videos to confirm.
He was taken to the hospital and his hair was damaged so he had to start putting on wigs.

His nose was not plastic, he only did surgery on his nose because of bullying and body shaming most especially from his whole father.
At a young age, he was told his nose was too big and that had a phycological effect on him.
If you truly know the story of Micheal Jackson and not the lies the media is telling you. You will feel pity for him on how he suffered media scrutiny.

You're well informed about Michael Jackson's travails. Many people are still ignorant of the facts surrounding MJ's transformation from black to white.

CardiNice:
Sorry i have to take the spot for first to comment but i must contribute because Micheal is king.

If Micheal jackson was to have came out in this our generation, 90% of his songs will reach 100 billion YouTube views.

He will have Instagram followers of more than 10 billion people.

His combined social media followers will be 90% of the world population.

Sentiments aside, arent you forgetting King David from the Bible. Baba of Psalms

fuckingAyaya:
all this things ain't enough reason to displease ur self to please the society,and again ask urself is he the only person with vitiligo? There are many people with vitiligo in the world, that doesn't warrant u bleaching ur skin

Your view that MJ identifies with Whites more than Blacks is not true. It's not his wish for his skin to be transformed from black to white. Circumstances made it so. And besides if you know Michael Jackson, you will know he that he adores the black race probably more than other black artist. His music video: Do you remember the time, recognizes and promoted rather subtly the great blackbcivilization. That video is till date the perfect illustration of Ancient Egyptian by any artist in the world.
MJ knows a lot more about history than many people think. In fact, he knows what vast majority of the world do not know.

black9:


Sentiments aside, arent you forgetting King David from the Bible. Baba of Psalms

King David will only be richer but Micheal Jackson will be more honoured and popular.
This was a man that sang and performed and people fainted for real.

saaron:
You're well informed about Michael Jackson's travails. Many people are still ignorant of the facts surrounding MJ's transformation from black to white.

Yes you are right.
Micheal Jackson is my favourite musician ever. No musician dead or alive can take the place of Micheal Jackson in my heart.
As for his skin transformation, you know lots of people, especially NIGERIANS don't do research to seek the Truth. This is why Rumours are easily spread in NIGERIA. The lies becomes the truth.

saaron:
Your view that MJ identifies with Whites more than Blacks is not true. It's not his wish for his skin to be transformed from black to white. Circumstances made it so. And besides if you know Michael Jackson, you will know he that he adores the black race probably more than other black artist. His music video: Do you remember the time, recognizes and promoted rather subtly the great blackbcivilization. That video is till date the perfect illustration of Ancient Egyptian by any artist in the world.
MJ knows a lot more about history than many people think. In fact, he knows what vast majority of the world do not know.

Even More, in all his music videos, his love interest were all black women.

Is it true that someone plays Michael Jackson songs now that he's dead, his torment of fire will keep increasing in the burning lake?

Jokerman:
Is it true that someone plays Michael Jackson songs now that he's dead, his torment of fire will keep increasing in the burning lake?

And how do you know that he is in hell? Did GOD reveal it to you,?

CardiNice:
Even More, in all his music videos, his love interest were all black women.

and he marry black women abi?