Happy Heavenly Birthday, MJ! Michael Jackson's Top Hip Hop Moments

From beat-boxing to rocking the stage with Jay Z.

Battling Usher in a Dance Off  - To honor his 30th year in show biz Michael spliced moments from his 2001 two-day concert extravaganza at Madison Square Garden for his own TV event. While performing his most recent hit, "You Rock My World," he was joined on stage by Chris Tucker and Usher, whose dance skills have often been compared to Mike's. But when Usher started electric boogying around The Gloved One, Mike sensed a battle, and a dance off was issued. Let's just say, Ush got served. (Photo: Kevin Kane/WireImage)
Beat-boxing for Oprah - Oprah Winfrey scored huge when she landed the first televised interview with MJ (after years of his reclusiveness) on October 2, 1993. Along with opening up about his life, Mike also blessed O with an impromptu beat-boxing session, crafting a rhythm that would rock a party harder than Doug E. Fresh.  (Photo: Sam Emerson /Landov/Reuters)
Appearing With Jay Z at Summer Jam - Jay Z almost lost major props at Hot 97's 2001 Summer Jam concert when he called MJ to the stage... and the music legend didn't appear. After a long 90 seconds, the crowd erupted into the loudest cheers of the evening as Mike made his way on stage to stand with Jay.    (Photos from left: Ron Smits/London Ent/Splash News, KMazur/WireImage)
Doing the Robot on Soul Train  - To promote their 1974 hit "Dancing Machine," the Jackson 5 took the TV stage of Soul Train to perform. Little did the audience know that a teenage Mike had been studying the famous moves of Slim the Robot, a member of the pioneering dance troupe the Lockers. They (and millions across America) witnessed Michael's street-dance skills during the song's breakdown segment as he proceeded to lock, swivel and slide his way to the front of the stage... and into hip hop history.Jammin' With Heavy D - For the fourth single from his multi-platinum Dangerous LP, Michael Jackson released the song "Jam," which featured the late hip hop music icon Heavy D. True to hip hop's natural connection to sports, the video featured Michael Jordan and was used in promotional ads throughout the NBA season, including the 1992 Championship video, the "Untouchabulls." (Photo: MJJ Productions)

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Beat-boxing for Oprah - Oprah Winfrey scored huge when she landed the first televised interview with MJ (after years of his reclusiveness) on October 2, 1993. Along with opening up about his life, Mike also blessed O with an impromptu beat-boxing session, crafting a rhythm that would rock a party as hard as Doug E. Fresh. (Photo: Sam Emerson /Landov/Reuters)

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