Happy Heavenly Birthday, MJ! Michael Jackson's Top Hip Hop Moments
From beat-boxing to rocking the stage with Jay Z.
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Got to Be There - Globally known as the King of Pop, at the root of Michael Jackson's trailblazing career was his love for hip hop. In honor of MJ's 65th birthday, check out his key hip-hop moments and how he's repped the streets since day one. (Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage
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Moonwalking at Motown 25 - In 1983, Motown Records celebrated its 25th anniversary with a TV special. The highlight of the evening was a performance by America's newly crowned King of Pop, Michael Jackson. In the middle of performing "Billie Jean," Mike shook up the world when he broke out the moonwalk, a backsliding move done by electric boogie dancers. (Photo: Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images)
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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 "You Rock My World," he was joined on stage by Chris Tucker and Usher, whose dance skills have often been compared to Mike's. (Photo: Kevin Kane/WireImage)
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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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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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