Jackson influenced almost every musician who came after him in one way or another. It was inevitable. Baltimore hip-hop artist MC Saleem Heggins can't point to a specific way Jackson helped shape his music. It would almost be offensive, he said. Jackson was much broader than that and his legacy is almost impossible to define. (Baltimore Sun) Michael Jackson changed the way of making music, dance and fashion in such a way that mostly every artist today has imitated what he did or set out to do the things he did. Artists like Justin Timberlake, Usher, Chris Brown, Beyoncé and many more idolized Michael Jackson and learned from the master and are now some of the biggest names in the world.