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

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

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)"This Time Around" featuring Notorious B.I.G. - For this single, from his ninth studio disc, HIStory: Past, Present and Future (Book I), Michael enlisted the rhyming skills of the Notorious B.I.G. "Stay away from strangers. So I won't slack," the late rapper rhymed. "And I know my n---a Mike like that." (Photos from left: Evan Agostini/PictureGroup, Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

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Appearing With Jay Z at Summer Jam - At Hot 97's 2001 Summer Jam concert, Jay Z called MJ to the stage... and, for a moment, it appeared the music legend was a no-show. 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)

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