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#TBT: Watch Michael Jackson Get Emo While Honoring James Brown at the 2003 BET Awards

MJ tears up while celebrating his idol.

Let's take a spin in a time capsule. Coordinates: June 24, 2003. Los Angeles's Kodak Theater. Behold. The Godfather of Soul. The King of Pop. Together. One stage. One cape.

When Michael Jackson busted a move alongside James Brown under Black culture's brightest spotlights, draping him in a shimmering cape, it was a monumental moment of peak blackness. Jay Z and Kanye West's "Throne" is a mere potty seat compared to this tag team.

Together, the two music icons stood, MJ gushing over JB before presenting him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Picture the biggest superstar this planet has ever seen getting emo over the mere presence of another.

"I couldn't refuse to give this award tonight because nobody has influenced me more than this man right here," Mike said tearfully, giving the impression that he might've clammed up if not for the prepared speech inscribed on the paper in his hand. "Since I was a child at six years old, he was the one that I looked up to more than any other entertainer, and I still do today."

On the sixth anniversary of Michael Jackson's death, and three days before the 2015 BET Awards, take a look back at one of entertainment's greatest television moments. Ever. There will never be another pair of guys like these.

BET.com is your No. 1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.

(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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