The Game reveals him and Michael Jackson's secret conversation...watch his new Tribute Video

Claiming the phone call took place while he was on tour in 2005, Game explained his conversation with the "King of Pop."....

"He got to this one thing that makes me laugh, man." Game said in an interview. "He said, 'I don't know how you're gonna feel about this, but I want to ask you something. I don't want you to judge me, but I don't really know everything that's going on between you and 50. But I want to be the middleman behind you putting this situation to bed.'" (MTV)



Watch "Better on the other Side" featuring Diddy, Chris Brown, Mario Winans and more

Michael Jackson's funeral arrangments are set! Will Neverland be a public attraction? Joe Jackson promotes his label!

Michael Jackson funeral arrangements include a public viewing at Neverland Ranch
It's official, Michael Jackson's funeral plans include a public memorial service this Friday. Michael Jackson's body will return to his Neverland Ranch on Thursday morning for a public viewing on Friday, CNN reported. A private memorial service is scheduled for Sunday.

Many Michael Jackson fans from all over the world have been waiting for funeral arrangements to be announced. It is unknown how many fans will be able to make the trip to Neverland.

If you want to attend Michael Jackson's public viewing, Neverland Ranch address is 5225 Figueroa Mountain Road, Los Olivos, CA 93441.

Where will Michael Jackson be buried?

According to CNN, The Mayor of Gary Indiana, Rudy Clay said Michael Jackson may be buried in Gary. Michael Jackson was born in Gary Indiana so a burial there may be fitting.

Is it true that Michael Jackson will be buried at Neverland?

Reports says the Jackson family is said to be discussing the idea now. Michael Jackson's grave at Neverland could become a public attraction.

_______________________________

At a press conference, with a little help of the Rev. Al Sharpton, Joe Jackson attempted to clear the air regarding comments he made during a CNN interview at the BET awards. Joe Jackson took time during his CNN interview to promote his new record label "Ranch Records". Many Michael Jackson fans were outraged at his remarks. Watch the video below of Joe Jackson CNN interview. Around the 4:20 second mark he speaks of his new record label.

Al Sharpton said "Michael would have wanted his family to continue his work". So that's the reason that Joe Jackson promoted his new record label just days after his son's death?

Joe Jackson said he was asked a question about his record label last night and that's why he spoke of it.

Joe Jackson has also made it clear that Michael's three children belong in the care of him and his wife Katherine. He said the kids are happy at his house and they are around other children their age now.

Despite reports, Joe Jackson has denied that Michael Jackson will be buried at Neverland Ranch after his funeral...

50 Cent says he is still NUMBER ONE!

Despite the decline in sales from 2005’s The Massacre to his last album, 2007’s Curtis, as well as a shift from gangsta rap’s overall popularity, 50 Cent still considers himself to be on top of the rap game. XXL recently caught up with the self-described “SoundScan Killer” to speak on his place in hip-hop’s current climate, how his sales stack up to Lil Wayne and the undeniable staying power of Jay-Z.

While he admits that mentor Eminem ranks higher than him on the list, Fif is quick to point out his dominance over Weezy. “What does that mean that you sold that,” he told XXL pertaining to Wayne’s last album, Tha Carter III, selling one million copies in its first week out last year. “So you gonna forget that I sold 10 million albums twice -12 million first album, 10 million next one. So what does that one million mean?“ [Watch Below]

50 believes fans are quick to forget his history; getting caught up in whoever is hot at the moment. “What you’re talking about is who is a buzz,” he explained. “A buzz is a song. So the next song that I release can turn me back into what you feel like is the hottest thing out here. So I mean if I’m showing you full capability of it than what makes you doubt that.”

50 points to fellow heavyweight Jay-Z, who he feels consistently finds a way to stay relevant. “There’s a respect that is well deserved on Jay-Z’s part because he’s had that cloud come over him and constantly worked his way through it, having so many projects come out and be successful and maintain meaning,” he said. “There’s a significance in it. Because they go, after countless amounts of hit records, they go ‘You think you can go out and do it again’. Ask me if I think he can do it again, ‘hell yeah,’ cause he did it how many times in front of us. What makes you think he can’t do it again”

“We get those moments where people decide to doubt and I’m fine with it,” he adds. “You know and then they’ll change their mind and I’ll tell em suck my dick, kiss my ass and everything else at the same time because they decided to doubt for that small time period.”

50 is currently prepping the release of his long-delayed fourth solo album, Before I Self Destruct. As of press time there is no solid date but it is rumored to be dropping in late fourth quarter.

"Tiny and Toya" premiers tonight on B.E.T - find out more about them!

Tameka ‘Tiny’ Cottle, who was a member of the hit R&B female group Xscape in the 90’s which was signed to Jermaine Dupri’s label So So Def and now most known as hip hop artist Clifford ‘T.I.’ Harris’ longtime girlfriend and fiancee, is set to star in a BET Reality show.

Also kickin it w/ Tiny is, Antonia ‘Toya’ Johnson-Carter, ex-wife and high school sweetheart of rapper DeWayne ‘Lil Wayne’ Carter.





The reality television series dubbed “Tiny and Toya” is scheduled to air at the end of June and will display the two hard working women and the two mothers reclaiming their independence as they refocus themselves outside of their relationships associated with two of hip-hop’s biggest stars (Lil Wayne and T.I.) while giving viewers a look into their daily lives.

Tiny has two sons Clifford “King”, 4, and Major Harris, 1, by rapper T.I., who is currently incarcerated on federal gun charges for one-year and one-day, and a daughter, Zonnique Pullins, 13, from a previously relationship. Toya has a daughter, Regina Carter, 12, by rapper Lil Wayne.

The show airs tonight, June 30, at 10P.

VIBE Magazine to close immediately!

Vibe, one of the nation’s leading popular music magazines, is closing immediately, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Word was broken early this afternoon by the Web site dailyfinance.com and spread to other music and media news sites. The spokeswoman, Tracy Nguyen, said the Vibe staff would be formally notified in a meeting at 2 p.m. She said she did not know how many people would be laid off as a result of the closure.

(Eminem featured on last offical printed cover)

The closure of Vibe leaves just one large-circulation music magazine, The Source, focusing on hip-hop and R&B. The Source has had its own troubles, going through a bankruptcy and emerging under new ownership last year. A rock-focused magazine, Blender, folded last year.

In a memo to staff members announcing the closure, Steve Aaron, chief of the Vibe Media Group, wrote that for months, the company tried in vain to either find new investors or “to restructure the huge debt on our small company.”

“The print advertising collapse hit Vibe hard, especially as key ad categories like automotive and fashion, which represented the bulk of our top 10 advertisers, have stopped advertising or gone out of business,” he wrote.

The musician Quincy Jones and the company then called Time Warner created Vibe in 1992. The Wicks Group, a private equity firm, bought it in 2006. Vibe reported circulation of 818,000 in the second half of last year, a healthy figure, but like many magazines it suffered from falling advertising. It announced in February that in July, it would cut its rate base — the circulation promised to advertisers — from 800,000 to 600,000.

Here is the final cover of VIBE magazine, and from what I'm told, it will not be available on newsstands. It kinda sucks for them huh? LOL Really would have been nice to put MJ on cover. But as you can see this was an immediate thing.

Here are the statements from Vibe's editor, and a staff memo from the CEO. From editor Danyel Smith:

On behalf the VIBE CONTENT staff (the best in this business), it is with great sadness, and with heads held high, that we leave the building today. We were assigning and editing a Michael Jackson tribute issue when we got the news. It's a tragic week in overall, but as the doors of VIBE Media Group close, on the eve of the magazine's sixteenth anniversary, it's a sad day for music, for hip hop in particular, and for the millions of readers and users who have loved and who continue to love the VIBE brand. We thank you, we have served you with joy, pride and excellence, and we will miss you.

Danyel Smith
the former Chief Content Officer VIBE Media Group
& Editor in Chief, VIBE

Staff memo from Vibe Media CEO Steve Aaron:

Dear VIBE Team:

It is with a heavy heart that I share some tough news, VMG is closing down effective today, June 30th.

It's been an 16 incredible years since VIBE's inception. There are very few magazines with the richness of history and breadth of talented visionaries who created the powerful lens in which VIBE viewed and shaped urban music and culture.

Ever since I first set foot in this courageous company, I've regarded myself as incredibly fortunate to be be involved with this remarkable brand and group of individuals whose performance has never been nothing short of outstanding. We finished 2008 in an improved position versus the prior year, and accomplished so much, including:

* Editorial Awards
* Editorial transformation into content dept
* New Ad accounts being broken
* The Most Mag Launch
* Award winning re-design
* Profitable digital operation
* VIBE.com growth and improvements and programs such as Best Rapper Ever, #1 Stan, etc
* Mobile VIBE launch
* Micro-site development Mostmag.com to start off.
* V Sessions
* Improved PR coverage

Unfortunately, over the last several months, a confluence of events has obviously posed VMG to exceedingly serious challenges.

* The collapse of the capital markets has impacted us greatly. Over the past several months, we have actively pursued investment resources while working intensively with our bank to find a solution. But the deal market right now remains very poor and at the end of the day, the lack of investment resources to restructure the huge debt on our small company has made this outcome become a reality.
* The print advertising collapse hit VIBE hard, especially as key ad categories like automotive and fashion, which represented the bulk of our top 10 advertisers, have stopped advertising or gone out of business. It's also unfortunate that in a recession many companies reduce the multi-cultural campaigns. These facts, coupled with the continuing decline of the music industry not to mention the newsstand wholesaler consolidation in early 2009 all negatively impacted our business in a significant way.
* The relentless economic situation has depressed our growth initiatives on the digital front. To be clear, VMG has made significant improvement in this part of our business, but not at the accelerated pace required to offset the devastating effects of the most severe recession in our lifetime and the accompanying print losses.

I want to thank you all for your hard work and commitment, and for all of the adventures along the way. I'll miss this place a lot, but I'll miss you all and the magic you create.

Vibe will be remembered as a shockingly brilliant content company that everyone can be proud of and I look forward with great excitement to all of future endeavors you all pursue.

With great affection and respect –

Steve Aaron

former CEO of VIBE Media Group

Jay-Z confirms Roc Nation deal with SONY and who he is working with!

As previously reported, Jay-Z has inked a distribution deal with Sony for his Roc Nation label, the Brooklyn-born rapper confirmed to Billboard last week.

"Sony is Roc Nation. That's where Roc Nation's going through," Jay-Z told Billboard on Friday (June 29).

As for the deal he recently signed with Atlantic, he clarifies that it is a one-off situation for his upcoming album, "Blueprint 3," slated for a September 11th release.


"That's pretty much just for this specific album. Roc Nation -- we're experts in marketing and making records. But we do distribution deals," he says. "On this one, we're working directly with the Atlantic staff, which is Julie [Greenwald], Lyor [Cohen], Kevin [Liles] and Kyse [Mike Kyser]. For the rest of the Roc Nation artists, we did a distribution deal with Sony."

Jay-Z also told Billboard he originally approached Def Jam with the same distribution deal idea four years ago, but was shut down. "You have to figure, this is like four years ago, and to them it was just like, 'Are you crazy? No! Make a song!'" he said. "To me it was like, I've sold companies for huge amounts of money. I'm an entrepreneur -- that's what I've been all my life. I can't just sit here and make records and not do anything else. Why wouldn't you want to do this with me? I felt under-utilized."

When his Def Jam contract was nearing expiration and he had one last album to release with the label (in this case, "Blueprint 3"), Jay-Z opted to buy himself out of the contract for a reportedly $5 million price tag.

50 Cent speaks on Soulja Boy and Charles Hamilton

50 Cent recently spoke on the success of Soulja Boy Tell Em, while reacting to Charles Hamilton's now infamous video where that chick smacks him! (watch that here, in case you FORGOT!)



"Soulja Boy is the smartest artist of our generation, I think period and I think out of anybody."

Kanye West drops new line of $700 kicks for LV!

Take a look at Kanye West's new line of $700 sneakers for Louis Vuitton.

....interesting selection of models. I mean after all they are ONLY $700. LOL want a pair?

Michael Jackson's will surfaces.....pushes Joe Jackson to the left to the left!

The question of whether Michael Jackson had a valid will at the time of his death just got a little more complicated.

Parents Joe and Katherine Jackson sought control of Michael's estate, claiming in court documents that the King of Pop died without a will. Hours later, one drafted in 2002 surfaced.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the document—which will no doubt be the centerpiece of a lengthy and ferocious legal battle in months to come—divides the superstar's estate among his mother, his three children (Prince Michael, Paris and Prince Michael II) and at least one charity.

It's unclear what custody arrangements, if any, Jackson made for his three children. But a court ruling yesterday gave temporary guardianship to Katherine.

At least one aspect of the will does appear to be clear: Joe Jackson wasn't named as an heir.

The will, drafted by Jackson's longtime attorney John Branca, may be filed in probate court as early as Thursday.

So far, the family is mum on the document.

"No will has been presented to family or us," Joe and Katherine's lawyer, L. Londell McMillan, told the Journal. "We will review any will when we see it."

Branca represented the singer from 1980 to 2006, and was rehired by Jackson just one week before his sudden death. Branca and music exec John McClain, a longtime friend of Jackson, are named as executors.

According to the Journal, while the pop icon died with roughly $500 million in debt, his assets are believed to dwarf that staggering figure by $200 million.

Among his more prized assets are a 50 percent stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which includes the bulk of the Beatles' canon, and Mijac, which controls Jackson's song rights.

Quincy Jones expresses his MJ moments

From MTV...

Of all the artists, producers, entertainers and celebrities who have paid tribute to Michael Jackson since his death on Thursday, perhaps the person who knows his music best is the man who launched his career as the King of Pop: Quincy Jones.

Starting with Jackson's 1979 album, Off the Wall, Jones became the singer's longtime producer, and in a revealing, intimate blog post for the Los Angeles Times, Jones wrote about Jackson's dedication to his craft, their work in the studio and how an unlikely collaboration on the set of a big-screen musical led to one of the most successful creative partnerships in pop music history.

"In 1978, [director] Sidney Lumet pulled me kicking and screaming into doing the music for 'The Wiz,' and in hindsight I'm so glad he did," wrote Jones. "As the scarecrow, Michael dove into the filming of 'The Wiz' with everything that he had, not only learning his lines but those of everyone in the cast. Prior to filming, Michael and I were working at my home and he asked if I could help find him a producer to work with him on his first solo album from Epic."

Jones didn't volunteer his services until he saw Jackson on set struggling with a line — the correct pronunciation of "Socrates." "It was that wonderment that I saw in his eyes that locked me in," Jones wrote. "I knew that we could go into completely unexplored territory, a place that as a jazz musician gave me goose bumps."

And so Jones, Jackson and songwriter Rod Temperton began work on Off the Wall.

"[Michael] was so shy he'd sit down and sing behind the couch with his back to me while I sat there with my hands over my eyes with the lights off," wrote Jones.

Jackson may have been introverted in the studio, but after working with a vocal coach, the Off the Wall album ended up going platinum four times and scoring four top-10 hits. For the follow-up album, Jackson and Jones had four months to complete their work, but after quickly falling behind schedule, they found themselves with just two months to finish the record.

"I told Michael that we needed a black rock 'n' roll tune — a black 'My Sharona' — and a begging tune for the album," Jones wrote. "He came back with 'Beat It' and Rod came back with 'The Lady in My Life.' Rod also brought in 'Thriller' and Michael sang his heart out on it. At one point during the session the right speaker burst into flames, which none of us had ever seen before. How's that for a sign?"

They completed the album just hours before it was due. They gave it a final listen and were shocked to find that it sounded terrible. Jackson himself was in tears. The team took two days off, reshaped the album and shortened the intro to "Billie Jean." Thriller ended up going platinum 28 times, making it the biggest-selling non-compilation album in history.

"There will be a lot written about what came next in Michael's life, but for me all of that is just noise," Jones wrote in conclusion. "I promise you in 50, 75, 100 years, what will be remembered is the music. It's no accident that almost three decades later, no matter where I go in the world, in every club and karaoke bar, like clockwork, you hear 'Billie Jean,' 'Beat It,' 'Wanna Be Starting Something,' 'Rock With You' and 'Thriller.' "

Chris Brown denies Jay-Z stopped his BET performance.

A rep for Chris Brown has denied reports that Jay-Z stopped plans for the singer to hit the stage at the BET Awards on Sunday night (June 28), after the rapper said he would back out of his performance if Brown was part of the ceremony.

Stemming from Brown’s assault of former girlfriend Rihanna, a protege of Jay-Z, a source told the New York Post he “wasn’t having it. He threatened to pull out of the show if Chris was involved, so BET dropped Chris.”

Brown’s rep was quick to step up, issuing a statement saying, “That’s not true — he was never confirmed to perform.”

Lawyer defends Michael Jackson's doctor...

What happened at the BET Awards? Oh Boy!!!!

Last nights show was completely re-vamped due to the tragic death of Michael Jackson. It took a wide turn with heavy last minute planning to change the show around with such short notice- they got it done but unfortunately to me they could have done ALOT better. I watched it with an open mind and thought it was starting off good but I was far from right. This was BET's chance to show the world what they got and they FLOPPED. I'm sure MJ's family was happy to have them do something....but damn there were only like 3 songs song of his. I must say, half way through the show I broke down in tears! I was totally upset that they wasted so much time NOT TRIBUTING MJ! I feel that God or a higher power brought all those old school and new school classic artists together for this purpose and BET wasted it. Well let me tell you how it went anyways......

Joe Jackson arrived without tickets about 30 minutes before show time, sending workers and media into a frenzy. He later sat with Rev. Al Sharpton to watch the awards.

A six member New Edition took us all by surprise. Yes, Bobby was there.

Jamie Foxx made it a point to say "We want to celebrate this black man. He belongs to us and we shared him with everyone else." He was hilarious as usual though....he kept it light, poking fun at Jackson's nose and the change in his skin tone over the years. "Michael was all kinds of black. He was Wesley Snipes and Chico DeBarge at the same time." He then pointed at Diddy and said, “Don’t you dare stop dancing. I’ll moonwalk all over your ass.” He then topped that with his affectionate speech about MJ where he proclaimed, “I love the old nose and the new nose.” LOL I must say without Jamie I do not know what BET would have done.

To accommodate the thirty extra minutes added on to the show for MJ, the nominee clips were axed. The presenters simply announced the category and the winner. Um, didn’t quite work BET, but we understand I guess.

Jay-Z performed Death of Autotune.

No one expected Beyonce to sing Ave Maria. In fact, some of the fans were downright pissed. How dare she not jiggle during a BET awards show! LOL The performance seemed a bit out of place, however her operatic version of the song was simply beautiful. A sort of silent mesmirization washed over the crowd. She looked and sounded beautiful...but maybe a MJ song would have helped!

Ne-Yo took gave us a trip down memory lane and brought out Keith Sweat, Guy and BBD. Keith and his wining got the crowd hype, but when Guy came out...BBD took the stage…it was beautiful only if they took that time to do TRIBUTE!! and they DID NOT =/ (now you see what Im talking about) even Chaka was there!

Teleprompters were off I guess because there was SO MANY ERRORS!! wow

Let's just fast forward (believe me, you want me to)...

On to Cash Money, the epic fail of the evening. Drake, whom everyone was dying to see, recently tore his ACL, and was bound to a Def Poetry inspired stool for the duration of the entire performance. Not too exciting. Lil Wayne comes out to perform that charming lil’ song about wanting to “f**k” every girl in the world. (with all curse words!) The problem is that several Hannah Montana extra came out with him. These little girls looked every bit of twelve, had no choreography and basically danced around like they were at their BFF’s sleepover. Tragic. Weezy’s daughter was among the mix and as for the others…just embarrasing LOL

Both Kanye and Chris Brown were absent from the festivities. Kanye was scheduled to perform and there was no word as to why he didn’t. Chris was also rumored to have practiced his number and then “something came up.” Hmmm. (I am actually glad he did not. I know he would have killed it, but it's just too fast to glorify him already)

The above video is of the best part of the night...which was capped off by a teary-eyed, emotional speech given by Janet Jackson, who shared a few words about her brother. This was just GROUND BREAKING; she made her first public appearance since her brother’s death and spoke on behalf of their entire family, thanking the fans for love and support. “To you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family and he will forever live in all of our hearts. … Thank you for all of your support. We miss him so much.”

After the awards my Twitter following went on an outrage! Some happy, most not so happy. Take a look at some of YOUR feedback...even Celebrities put in there two sense!

Rt @ImBigRoii bet VH1,MTV, and the grammys would have did a better tribute and those awards are ran by white ppl,smh,dis is truly sad.

RT @DeeHarlemgrlEb @djladyt da beginning to mid was the best....n yes Weezy n dem was hot garbage

RT @LadyJaii BET did Michael dirty, MTV plz put together a bangin ass tribute for the king of pop. Thanx!

RT @geechi_suede what is BET's address, i wish to return my race card..... are the asians accepting applications?

RT @QtipTheAbstract: BET is f**king trash!!! how do u have chaka khan at the bet awards and she doesnt sing her cover of got to be there

BET president Debra Lee told audiences the following:

“When we heard the news of Michael Jackson’s passing, we knew immediately we were going to have to change the nature of this show. It was a labor love. Michael was truly a musical deity.”

BET Awards- list of winners...

List of winners:

• Male R&B Artist: Ne-Yo.

• Female R&B Artist: Beyonce.

• Group: Day 26.

• Collaboration: “Blame It,” Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain.

• Male Hip Hop Artist: Lil Wayne.

• Female Hip Hop Artist: M.I.A.

• New Artist: Keri Hilson.

• Gospel Artist: Mary Mary.

• Video of the Year: “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It),” Beyonce.

• Video Director of the Year: Benny Boom.

• Actor: Will Smith.

• Actress: Taraji P. Henson.

• Female Athlete: Serena Williams.

• Male Athlete: LeBron James.

• Centric Award: Jazmine Sullivan.

• Viewer’s Choice Award: “Live Your Life,” T.I.

• Humanitarians of the Year: Alicia Keys and Wyclef Jean.

• Lifetime Achievement Award: O’Jays

Celebrities and friends show respect to MJ! [MADONNA, 50 CENT, USHER, BROOKE SHEILDS, LIZA + MORE!]

It all starts with the FANS!....so sad =/

In last few hours since news broke that pop icon Michael Jackson died suddenly on Thursday in Los Angeles, many of the legendary singer's friends, colleagues and family members have paid tribute to the late singer.

On Friday (June 26), the memories kept coming, as Brooke Shields, Slash and little sister Janet remembered Jackson as a friend, brother, music pioneer and, obviously, the King of Pop.

"Janet Jackson is grief-stricken and devastated at the sudden loss of her brother," manager Kenneth Crear said in a statement to MTV News. "She is in pre-production on a film and is flying immediately to California to be with her family." Since Jackson released her statement, she has been seen in Los Angeles.

"My heart is overcome with sadness for the devastating loss of my true friend Michael," Brooke Shields, who dated Jackson in the '80s, said in a statement to MTV News. "He was an extraordinary friend, artist and contributor to the world. I join his family and his fans in celebrating his incredible life and mourning his untimely passing."

Jackson's longtime pal, Emmanuel Lewis, according to his agent is "sincerely devastated at this time," adding that the loss is "very personal and very emotional": "Former 'Webster' star Emmanuel Lewis, who befriended singer Michael Jackson in the 1980s, has been profoundly impacted by the singer's death on Thursday afternoon."

Slash and Jackson teamed up for a legendary 1995 VMA appearance. In a statement to MTV News, the former Guns N' Roses guitarist said, "Michael Jackson was one of the most talented and dynamic performer/singer/songwriters I ever had the pleasure of working with, he was amazing. Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding his personal life in recent years overshadowed his unparalleled contributions to the music world, which is a tragedy in and of itself. But his music will live on forever no matter what and his memory will be adored and admired for years to come."

Kanye West took to his blog Friday and posted a photo of Jackson and then left the simple comment: "Thank you for everything, Mike."

Legendary acts like Smokey Robinson and Tina Turner are also remembering Jackson. "It is always hard to lose a friend. I will miss Michael and all that he brought to the world through his music and his creative genius," Robinson told MTV News in a statement. "I know that his legend will live on and that the world will miss him dearly."

"I am shocked and saddened by Michael's passing," Turner, who worked with Jackson on the now-classic charity single "We are the World," told Spinner. "I, along with his millions of fans, looked forward to seeing him tour one more time. Now, may he rest in peace."

Lil Wayne said he personally can’t believe that Michael Jackson died. “It’s more unfortunate for the world of music”,and that his heart goes out to his family. He said it’s a sad day in history,not just music.

Chris Brown said in a statement to MTV, “Michael Jackson is the reason why I do music and why I am an entertainer. I am devastated by this great loss, and I will continue to be humbled and inspired by his legacy. My prayers are with his family. Michael will be deeply missed, but never forgotten. He’s the greatest … the best ever. No one will ever be better.”

Chris Brown has paid homage to Michael in the past, at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards by mimicking Michael Jackson’s iconic moves. (wonder if he is appropriate for the B.E.T awards Tribute?)

"I think it's probably deeper than people would expect, actually," Kobe Bryant said. "Being out here in L.A., I had numerous conversations, just over the phone and also at his house, just talking about work ethic and paying attention to details. He was extremely inspirational for me because he helped me understand that it's OK to be different. And when I say different I mean different in the sense of being obsessed with your craft ... and working your tail off and being consumed by what you do. He helped mentor me in that department. I think we lost an absolutely brilliant, brilliant mind and just a genuine nice person."

Fabolous, who has sampled MJ's music in his songs, said he learned a lot from watching Jackson as a kid. "I was just very disappointed the whole day ... I grew up on Michael Jackson," he said. "One of my first albums my mom bought me was Thriller, so just to see him pass was like a big loss to me and everyone who grew up around me."

JC Chasez, who performed with Jackson along with 'NSYNC at the 2001 VMAs, described the show as "a childhood dream come true." "It was kind of like my life had come full-circle at that point. First you dream about being able to dance like him and the next thing you know you're standing next to him while you're dancing. As a professional, you want to reach the top of your game. Then you find yourself on the MTV awards and you share that moment with him. He's a language. He's a piece of vernacular when you talk about dancing, singing ... entertainment."

Sheryl Crow toured with Jackson for two years in the late '80s, and she was one of the people lucky enough to get to know the personal side of Jackson. "I did a couple of duets with him. He reached out to me on a couple of occasions and invited me to come up to his hotel room to watch movies," she recalled. "A big room with a couple of bodyguards and us throwing popcorn across the room at each other. He was just very childlike and loved to practical joke ... very childlike and innocent and then he'd walk out onstage and you'd see this magnetic, very strong artistic talent up there."

One woman who has definitely used some of the Jackson aesthetic in her own career, Ciara, admits that MJ was her biggest inspiration. "He was part of the reason why for me," she said. "Whenever someone asks me who inspires me to do what I do, I always say Michael. That's it for me. He's everything to me. He's really a part of the reason why. He's going to be remembered in so many ways for me. I feel it's important for me to continue to let my generation know how important he was to music."

Usher, who was significantly influenced by Jackson, added, "It's pretty hard right now, man. Michael Jackson transcended culture. He transcended love, man. He changed the barrier of life and the way we looked at things."

Liza Minnelli remembered the days they'd spend together. "We would hang together when we were in New York. We would go to [dancer and choreographer] Martha Graham's. I would take him to Martha Graham and he'd say, 'Oh, I got to learn that,' and we'd run upstairs to practice. Anyway, I loved him."

Teddy Riley, who worked with Jackson on both "Dangerous" and "Remember the Time," is still reeling from the loss, but feels honored to have had a chance to work with the King of Pop. "Such a huge impact he had. A lot of the major people out there, they've grown up to Michael Jackson., and I've grown up to Michael Jackson, and it's been a dream to work with him ... he made my dreams come true. It's a big impact and I think everyone out there is going to miss him," he said.

Madonna said: "I can't stop crying over the sad news. I have always admired Michael Jackson," she said. "The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever! My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless."

Also 50 Cent, The Game and more pay Tribute in song...

The Game, Chris Brown, Diddy...."Better on the other side" click here