Unlike his earlier works Dangerous was more of an album that emphasized on themes applicable to folks all around the world; dealing with issues that called for international attention such as race, colour, peace,love, relationships and personal empowerment. The album had 14 tracks, 12 of those penned by Mr Jackson himself, and the single "Black or white"- a blend of pop and rock added with elements of early hip hop was both a critical and commercial hit, reaching number one wherever it got released as a single. The song was promoted using one of the most innovative music videos ever made, that drew a worldwide audience of roughly 500 million during its original airing. The song had infectious beats and popular drum sounds that seemingly had put the New Jack swing genre on the map. Likewise, Grammy nominated single "Jam" could be praised as the song that gave confidence to music companies to promote songs that belonged to the rap or hip hop categories in later years, taking the same to mainstream popularity. The songs were more raw & energetic and the album's profound influence can be seen in the works of artists like Usher, Timberlake and Chris Brown who consider Jackson their biggest influence. The hits like "Remember the time" and "In the closet" saw Soul-R&B being given a rejuvenation and taken to higher platforms, that became club anthems that rocked the dance floors. He even did a follow up to his hard rock anthems "Beat it" and "Dirty Diana" through "Give into me" where he collaborated with former Guns n Roses guitarist Slash to make Dangerous an electric powerhouse, but kept the sounds and beats that influenced his vision. To sum it up, he wanted to create an album of songs that related to all aspects of life, people of all demographics, backgrounds and taste; songs that appealed to all audiences, especially outside the native markets, to which the song "Heal the world", that peaked #2 in UK billboard charts, could be attributed as the song that most served this purpose, as it became kindergarten poetry all around the globe."Heal the word", often recognised as an unofficial sequel to "We are the world",co-written by Jackson, has the status of being the song that paved him the vision to create global anthems like "Earth song" and "They don't care about us" in his album History:Past, Present and Future Book I, that possess a very powerful message, relevant to today's political economical and social scenario.
The one thing that we should embark on while discussing the Dangerous album is the fact that Jackson had complete artistic freedom while he worked on it, as he got to free himself from the powerful clutches of master musician and record producer Quincy Jones, who always took the major credit for the massive success of their previous efforts. So, with Dangerous, he had a chance to prove to the world, that he possessed the mastery to create an album that transcended across generations along with the confidence to take up sounds that were once considered urban music; however, the talent he had showcased in writing and composing the aforementioned hits along with his use of the gritty vocal style and ability to create riffs using his beat boxing skills are criminally underrated.
With Teddy Riley on his side, serving as a producer for the album, Jackson brought a drastic change with this album, when compared to everything that he has released prior to it. The album became a game changer to the new jack swing genre, infusing pop and rock music with funk-hip hop elements and street sounds. Though,the album was criticised for experimenting with fresh sounds, that led to its relatively lower album sales in the US, compared to his previous efforts, the album turned out to be Jackson's most famous album outside of the US and UK. With Dangerous, Jackson was able to tap into the fresh Asian Markets; where people began to play Jackson's songs on their music playlists. The number one single "Black or white" and its accompanying music video attained house hold level popularity across the globe, similar to what Thriller achieved in the US back in the 80s. Jackson in every sense became the world's biggest entertainer having huge massive fan base outside the native English speaking market, where his fans duplicated his famous Dangerous dance routine in stage programs, local festivals and talent shows, a phenomenon ever so present . Much like his performances, his songs had profound influence on world renowned musicians, like for instance, the Oscar winning Indian film composer A.R. Rahman who had sampled the intro bits of the song 'Who is it" for the musical score/theme song he created, played in flute, for his debut film project Yodha, a Malayalam language movie, released months after the release of Jackson's Dangerous album. What makes Jackson different from other artists is that unlike most other artists, Jackson had the ability to produce music of the future, creating sounds and styles that were unheard of in the past. The same can be said about his least commercially successful album "Invincible", which is perhaps one of the first albums that brought Dubstep music to the world.
Now, it is safe to say that he did music for common people to enjoy and dance to, rather than to boast of the lyrical complexity that most critics find solace in. The album was a victim of the media's attention towards his public image,which ultimately took away the credit he deserved for bringing a genre to the mainstream audience.The album sold about 30 million copies worldwide, and was a landmark album in the international market. The album that turns 30 next year may be ignored by most fans in the contest involving Off the wall and Thriller that decides his masterpiece album, however, just like its three predecessors,it should rightfully be given the "classic album" recognition that it truly deserve.
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