News October 11, 2021
Prince Jackson Dismisses Comparisons Between His Father Michael & Drake
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Prince Jackson is defending his father Michael’s legacy after Drake surpassed a record previously held by the King of Pop.
This month, TooFab caught up with Prince in Los Angeles and asked him what he thought about claims that Drake is as big as Michael in his heyday.
After Drake released his sixth studio album, “Certified Lover Boy,” last month, nine songs debuted in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart — surpassing the previous record of seven set by Michael’s “Thriller” album in 1982.
In response, Prince believes his father and the rest of the Jackson family’s accomplishments were particularly groundbreaking given the day and age.
“I mean, everybody has their own definition of great, and all respect to Drake for everything that he does,” he said. “But what my father and my family accomplished, in the time that they did it, is very unlikely [ever] to be matched again.”
After Prince’s comments went viral, Internet users debated how Michael’s music would fare today in our social media-driven world.
“MJ did it with no social media,” one Instagram user wrote.
“If Michael Jackson had the same technology and access to fans that Drake had in the digital age this would not happen. MJ’s record[s] would quadruple. You can’t compare them. It’s like comparing Greek warriors to modern warfare soldiers. It’s [an] unfair comparison since they are measured on different metrics,” another noted.
“Drake is great!!!! Stop!!! I wouldn’t compare him to Michael they’re just different. But he’s definitely iconic. Give him flowers,” another added.
It’s worth noting that Drake has long honored Michael and his legacy.
For his 2018 song “Don’t Matter to Me” off of “Scorpion,” Drake used posthumous vocals from Michael, taken from a previously unreleased session with Paul Anka.
In 2009, Drake opened up to MTV about the impact that Michael had on him.
“I remember having ‘Moonwalker’ on cassette and I remember how religiously I used to watch it. Because I used to feel like, as a kid, this was the most amazing place to escape to. It was that world he created. I just feel like he was the first artist that I ever experienced that made you get lost in Michael Jackson, his music, his imagery, the choices that he made for cover art. Now that I’m older, I can look back and be like, wow, he was one of the most consistent entertainers of all time.”
