Michael Jackson is the gold standard when it comes to entertainers. For anyone following in his footsteps, it is an honor to be compared to him. He had classic albums, iconic videos, and sold-out shows across the globe. Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Usher, and The Weeknd have all drawn comparisons to him for different reasons. One artist who has never been shy about leaning into his comparisons to Michael Jackson is Chris Brown. Chris has referenced him in videos, covered his songs, and performed in his tributes. Now, he’s opening up about his comparisons to Michael Jackson ahead of his new album Breezy.
Joe Budden likes to ruffle feathers, so fans are still not sure if he was serious when comparing Chris Brown to Michael Jackson. In a video clip from his podcast, he declared, “Chris Brown is way more talented than Michael Jackson. Like not even close.” One of his co-hosts believes that any outrage over Chris Brown and Michael Jackson comparisons has more to do with people wanting to protect Michael’s legacy than actually taking the time to really assess the two artists and their careers. While Joe does not disagree that Michael is the greatest to ever do it, he feels the conversation is about talent, which he believes Brown has more of.
50 Cent made similar claims about Chris Brown back in 2019. The Power producer believes that Brown is better than Jackson as well. In a Twitter post, he cited Chris Brown’s album sales as proof that he is better than Michael. “Chris Brown has now sold 69.5M singles in the US, making him the 7th best-selling singles artist of all time. He has now totaled 100M RIAA-certified units. In another Tweet, he declared, “CB better than MJ to me now.”
Tank is a gifted writer who has worked with some of the greatest artists of all time, from Beyonce to Aaliyah. According to the hitmaker, Chris Brown is better because he does more things than Michael, all in the same video. “Dance, sing, write, produce, direct, gymnast, martial arts, draw, paint, clothing line, pop song, hood record, all in the same video!! He’s an alien,” argued Tank.
Boosie Badazz chimed in on the matter after Fat Joe tried to compare Drake to Michael Jackson. Boosie feels that the only person you can truly compare to Jackson is Chris Brown. “Chris Brown a bad motherfucker,” he said. “That’s the closest thing to Michael Jackson! You can’t compare Drake to no motherfucking Michael Jackson.” At the time, Chris Brown seemed to agree and reposted Boosie’s post saying, “Appreciate the love, MY BROTHER. I’m thankful I was able to witness MJ’s greatness, and HE inspired me to be CHRIS BROWN.”
Chris Brown Doesn’t Agree He’s Better Than Michael Jackson
Brown has changed his tune in recent years. The pop star no longer wants to be compared to his hero and prefers to stand on his own. In a recent interview, Brown called it all “cap” and considered Jackson to be lightyears ahead of him. Chris Brown concludes with, “there’s no competing with him!” He says he stays out of conversations comparing them and thinks that it is not a Jordan and Kobe thing. He feels that Michael is just better, period. Chris joked that he also has shrines to Michael all around his house.