this is a question from WorldFocus.
"Which artist/musician has most profoundly affected world events?"
my pick:
1) Michael Jackson:
There has never been a bigger artist period. He is truly worldwide. People from unimaginably different places and circumstances mutually share an experience with Michael Jackson, the image, the music, the style, the culture etc etc. Michael Jackson is an experience like Jesus.. billions of people share this experience.. it is beyond scale. No one could possibly come close..
2) the Beatles
Huge band, biggest perhaps aside from Jackson in worldwide popularity, and even more crucially significant, they were popular in a truly revolutionary age of progress and change, and helped to spread the vibe of change inadvertantly across the globe. The Beatles were not really activists, but their music spread culture and ideas with it.. where the Beatles records went across the world, change came with it. I don't even like the Beatles or Lennon solo stuff, but I must always give maximum RASpect to those who earn it so highly
3) Bob Marley
Same scale as the above two but more powerfully direct in promoting change. Bob Marley gave the third world the language it needed to proclaim its revolution, to bring about change. To this day, across the world and especially South America and Africa, Bob Marley is a major influence amongst the entire spectrum, extreme leftist militants to rightist intellectuals and everyone in between. Bob Marley is a force of change across the world bigger than Ghandi!
4) Tupac
Underrated in his international appeal, Tupac is one of the most popular rap artists across Africa and South America. They like ALL american rap in Africa and South America, but it doesn't get much bigger than Tupac.. He is like the Michael Jackson of Rap music internationally.. kids who carry guns in Sierra Leone bump 2pacalypse Now and All Eyez on Me is blaring in the favellas of Rio.. it is surreal actually.
5) Nirvana
In South America and Europe especially Nirvana was huge. They are the beatles of our generation. They brought about the third revolution if you ask me.. lets see if we can keep it kindling.