I, for one, think it’s time to move on, now that Michael Jackson’s memorial service is a thing of the past. No direspect intended toward the King of Pop or his family and fans in any way, of course. I just believe death is a natural part of life, and, while Jackson’s death was arguably untimely, life does go on for everyone else.

What I’d like to know is who’s next in line to become king of the industry? Of course, I don’t mean to say that MJ will ever be replaced, but I sincerely think that there are other artists out there who can seriously make a run at rivalling MJ’s success.

Personally, if a gun were at my head to come up with a name, it would be that of Akon. Granted, Akon is already massive in terms of his popularity and established empire, but so was Jackson before he soared off into Neverland, so to speak, in the 1980s and early 90s. Even though they can be classified into different genres (Jackson with pop and Akon with hip-hop and rhythm-and-blues), I still think Akon can eventually become the biggest star in the world.

For the unaware, just look at the progress he’s made thus far: He’s a singer, songwriter, producer, and record executive (having founded two labels, Kon Live Distribution and Konvict Muzik). In addition, he has forayed further into the commercial side of the business, associating himself with Hitlab.com. He calls it an “industry killer” for its ability to determine the likelihood of an uploaded song to become a hit based on its unique “dynamic hit scoring” technology.

On Hitlab.com, independent artists can join and compete for a chance to get signed by Akon to a record deal. Artists and fans alike are welcome to join and, in the case of artists, stand a chance at winning should they demonstrate talent and their uploaded songs resonate with fellow users. The site has already produced one success story in Saschali, an R&B singer from Montreal, Quebec (originally Pembroke, Ontario) who is already recording her first album under the Kon Live label as a result.

What’s interesting is that Akon and Jackson had worked closely together prior to Jackson’s death. Jackson even had a new album in the works, which Akon had helped produce. The two had reportedly developed a close relationship over the past few years, and the two even recorded a few songs together, including 2008’s “Hold My Hand”. It is Jackson’s last known recorded song before he succumbed to cardiac arrest earlier this summer. There are no further developments as of yet regarding the future of the album in question.

A lot of factors no doubt come into play in trying to determine whether Akon will ever become as successful as Jackson in the long run, but one must acknowledge that Akon is already well on his way. Furthermore, Akon hasn’t had as many public-relations nightmares to deal with as Jackson.

I will say this. There will never be another Michael Jackson. For all his good and bad qualities, he was really one in a billion at least. But, at the same time, I think it’s downrright ignorant to believe that no one will ever match his success. Unlikely, yes. Impossible, no. Cut Akon some slack. He’s only been in the industry for five years (his debut album, Trouble, came out in 2004). By the time Jackson released his solo debut, since taking over lead vocals in The Jackson Five, he had been in the industry around the same period of time. Add to that another 10 years when Thriller came out. So, I think it’s fair to say Akon should be granted at least a little more time before his all-defining oeuvre is expected out and any conclusions on the subject are made.

Peace out,
MC