Justin Timberlake was the pretty boy type that all the girls lusted after during his N-Sync reign. And even when he went solo, his stardom continued to rise. I salute JT because not only did I grow up on N-Sync’s music but because his debut album ‘Justified’ was nothing short of a pop orgasm to the ears. ‘Justified’ was one of the most well produced pop albums to come out in the last decade. Not much people know this but half of the songs on that record were rejected by Michael Jackson for ‘Invincible’. So if you could hear the MJ influences on that record, it’s because the songs were produced with him in mind. For a short period, I lost respect for Timberlake after the way he handled the Janet Jackson Superbowl debacle. I mean, where I come from, you don’t leave your friends to hang just because your butt is feeling the heat. His career went from strength to strenth, whereas hers took a major battering.
But then, Timberlake produced another great album (not as good as the first but still good nonetheless) and I was able to put my anger aside to enjoy his music again. It’s been nearly five years since the singer has released an album and no one knows when he’ll return to music or if he ever will (no thanks to a blossoming acting career). But as he turns 30 today, we can still look back at some of the hottest offerings of his music career.
