Michael Jackson: The '90s and Beyond

The biggest pop star of the '80s translated his tumultuous times in the '90s and '00s into anthems both personal and global. Embracing hip-hop beats and modern dance-floor dynamics, his music became bigger, shinier and more lyrically pointed. That's as true of the whiplash rhythm of “Black or White” as it is of the grand sweep of “Earth Song”, which was nothing less than a plea for the planet.