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The debate over which Michael Jackson album is better, Off The Wall or Thriller, is eternal. The creation of the former is the subject of a new, Spike Lee helmed Showtime documentary, Michael Jackson’s Journey From Motown To Off the Wall.

The doc follows Jackson’s evolution from lead singer of the Jackson 5 to star soloist with the release of 1979’s Off The Wall.

MICHAEL JACKSON’S JOURNEY FROM MOTOWN TO OFF THE WALL contains a wealth of footage, including material from Michael’s personal archive, and in his own words. The documentary also includes interviews with prominent entertainment and sports stars including Lee Daniels, The Weeknd, Pharrell Williams, Kobe Bryant, Misty Copeland, Mark Ronson, John Legend, Questlove, L.A. Reid, and more, as well as his parents Katherine and Joe Jackson, and his brothers Jackie and Marlon Jackson. Off The Wall created a whole new category in pop music. Written by Michael Jackson, the first single from Off The Wall, “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” earned Jackson his first Grammy® and was his first single to hit No. 1 in the U.S. and internationally as a solo artist. The album was an enormous commercial success; as of 2014 it is certified eight times platinum in the United States and has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. Off The Wall not only “invented pop music as we know it,” wrote Rolling Stone, it transcended music and entertainment altogether, becoming an important moment in African-American history.

Michael Jackson’s Journey From Motown To Off the Wall premiers February 5 on Showtime. Watch the trailer below.

Photo: screen cap