I am also quite upset by the lack of female musicians represented in this top 20 list. Where is the great and wonderful Miss Tina Turner, who crossed over from R&B and Soul into Rock and had great success!! She was one of the first women of music!! She should easily be in the top 20!! If Madonna can be there, why isn't Tina there? And what about Janet Jackson? She has an much talent as Madonna, and is a great dancer!! She has plenty of achievements under her belt!!

And how come there aren't any country or latin singers on this list? I mean, George Strait has had 54 #1 hits in country music!! That's more than any other musician in any genre!! And I have to correct myself...Shania Twain has surpassed Mariah Carey as the biggest selling female artist of all time!!

So this list is NOT representative of music...it's representative of certain types of music. I can't stand VH1 at all!! I suspect on the next list, Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift will on there!

bboy87 said:

Has anybody noticed Sam Cooke isn't on the list?

That is a Sin.

Spinlight said:

vi0letblues said:

Lets not confuse artistic importance with celebrity.

MJ prompted up by sensationalist celebrity machine that came of age in the 80's, it was a symbiotic relationship that benefited both parties. The funny part was that as MJ's career took a turn for the worse, the sensationist celebrity media found it could generate just as much hype by trashing him. Which they did. And he was taken down in the same exact same way they created him. And they milked it all the way to the grave and beyond. Literally.

It was only fitting. Like a bad twilight zone episode of making a deal with the devil.

Prince on the other hand has always been demonized by the same sensationalist media and cannot be taken down the same way as he was never a product of their making. On the contrary, there is very little of his artistic achievements that has reached the general public, that I think his image will only continue to rise as The National Enquirer, People Magazine and Entertainment Tonight are not the only ones to feed the fodder anymore, nor the mutual reacharounds that made MJ famous even relavant anymore in the internet age.

[Edited 9/4/10 20:09pm]

Please don't insinuate Michael Jackson isn't an artist. It's a really tired argument.

MJ is an artist, there is documented footage of him "producing" just as much of thriller as Q. We get it twisted because he is not a skilled musician but he can play; but voice and performance are his gifts. I've seen him beat box a track and instruct drums on the spot, his ear is legendary so why do we minimize him?. I'm a prince guy but not to the detriment to MJ, Prince is a unique case but it would be fair to call MJ a genuis as well.

bboy87 said:

Sam Cooke

Paul Weller

Jaco Pastorius

Kate Bush

Patti Labelle

Carole King

Carly Simon

Chaka Khan

Miles Davis

are all omitted from the list

yet

Beyonce

Justin Timberlake

Alicia Keys

Green Day

Mariah Carey

Jay Z

Mary J Blige

are all there

Carol, Sam, Patti, Carly and Miles for Justin, Alicia, Beyonce and Green Day. Jay Z, Mary J, and Mariah are all the real deal. Beyonce is gettin there and Justin is a wayyyyyyyyyys off.

scatwoman said:

alandail said:

The Bee Gees are WAY underrated on the list. They are #6 all time (as of a few years ago) in record sales with over 220 million records sold and are the only artists in history to write and produce 5 of the top 10 singles on the hot 100.

[Edited 9/5/10 19:53pm]

Nevermind their massive songwriting successes from the mid 70s and beyond, their body of work from 1967-72 alone should place them higher than most on this list. They wrote more classics in those few short years than most writers manage in a lifetime.

What a crock of shit this list is.

The disco backlash is neverending

bashraka said:

I saw Hour 2 of this show, and they interviewed Neil Diamond and they asked him who were his greatest artists of all time and he replied "Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra" and the reporter said "Why them?" My beef with this list is that it doesn't include jazz music or gospel music. Jazz is the only original American musical artform so it's only right to include artists whose music greatly contributed to the aural performing arts. Where's John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bird, Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson? for example. That's why I got so much respect for Andy Stewart, Sting, Phil Collins, Bruce Springsten,Prince, Hall and Oates and musicians like that, who readily acknowledge music and performers who may not be contemporary but their contributions directly and indirectly shaped the musical landscape past, present and future.

[Edited 9/6/10 21:35pm]

We talk about MJ's largesse and cultural impact? Frank Sinatra set the template for the modern vocalist, was the first teen idol, and for his time was BIGGER than MJ could ever be. Prince made one of the great rock movies but Frank won an Oscar for his acting and routinely bullied studios to make a gang of movies he wanted made. Hist chart success is only bettered by a handful of artist and the rappers who claim to be "Dons" because they have reality shows and colognes?. Sinatra at once was the biggest movie star/ singer and hanging with crime bosses ( who ruled 95% of unions & casino's) and the fucking President. Jay Z wets his pants at a dinner invite from Obama, Frank routinely chased ass with the most powerful men in the world. Music didnt start with Elvis, theres a reason HE chose to intigrate himself back into show business by appearing with Sinatra.

dreamshaman32 said:

Spinlight said:

Please don't insinuate Michael Jackson isn't an artist. It's a really tired argument.

MJ is an artist, there is documented footage of him "producing" just as much of thriller as Q. We get it twisted because he is not a skilled musician but he can play; but voice and performance are his gifts. I've seen him beat box a track and instruct drums on the spot, his ear is legendary so why do we minimize him?. I'm a prince guy but not to the detriment to MJ, Prince is a unique case but it would be fair to call MJ a genuis as well.

It's not about minimizing him. It's about putting things in perspective.

I think MJ wrote two of the greatest pop songs period, in Billie Jean and Shake Your Body.

Billie Jean will be enjoyed by people long after all of us here are long gone. That's no minimizing him.

But as good as Billie Jean is, nothing he did afterward came even close. He continued releasing well-produced well-sung songs into the 90's (unlike Prince) but nothing especially better or more interesing than whatever anyone else was doing.

MJ was and IS a cultural phenomenon, more than anything else. I think the Shirley Temple comparison is a apt one because she was also a cultural phenomenon, known and enjoyed throughout the world. That's not minimizing him.

The MJ we all came to know is here because the glitzy planets aligned for Thriller. Quincy Jones timeless production, MJ's great songs, equally hot at the time Eddie Van Halen on a track, hot 80's director John Landis directing his music video.They pulled out ALL the stops on this one grand PG record for the masses with no cuss words to titillation to offend mom or dad or keep them from buying it for the kids or themselves. And it all worked. MTV was new and young and in most homes by now, Entertainment Tonight was in everybody's living-room pumping up the entertainment machine. Fuck calling it marketing genius, It was marketing nirvana.

Is MJ talented? of course he was. A musical genius?...well it depends. If you want to include Mariah, Madonna, Sheirly Temple, Justin Timberlake and The Village People in the sphere of musical genius becasue of their scope of fame and celebrity, then I guess so.

But I wouldn't.

[Edited 9/7/10 9:57am]

DaphneLovesPR1NCE said:

jackson35 said:

dude stevie has put out more hits than prince since he was 12. stevie won grammys for album of the year back to back. every body and their mama cover his songs. prince cant hold stevie sunglases.

Yes, I know Stevie influenced Prince!! But that has no bearing on who is the better artist. All that proves is that Stevie was around 1st and that he was a good artist in Prince's opinion. Christiana Aguilera says Madonna influenced her..does that automatically mean Madonna is a better artist? Heck no! Because Madonna CAN'T sing, so she can't possibly be better than anyone, regardless of how many people she influenced!

That surprises me. I know he should be first on the list, but I fully expected VH1 to bury him in the 20's or 30's somewhere. I guess they did compile the list from actual artists and musicians.

My favorite vh1 list by the way, is the "Worst Videos Ever"...because they're all videos Vh1 and Mtv played endlessly when they came out (before both channels abandoned music altogether). It should be called "The Crap We Made You Watch" list.

dreamshaman32 said:

Spinlight said:

Please don't insinuate Michael Jackson isn't an artist. It's a really tired argument.

MJ is an artist, there is documented footage of him "producing" just as much of thriller as Q. We get it twisted because he is not a skilled musician but he can play; but voice and performance are his gifts. I've seen him beat box a track and instruct drums on the spot, his ear is legendary so why do we minimize him?. I'm a prince guy but not to the detriment to MJ, Prince is a unique case but it would be fair to call MJ a genuis as well.

Anyone who's heard the demos to songs like Don't Stop Til You Get Enough, Workin' Day And Night, The Girl Is Mine (which is better than the Q Jones produced final version), Beat It, and Dangerous would definitely agree

vi0letblues said:

dreamshaman32 said:

MJ is an artist, there is documented footage of him "producing" just as much of thriller as Q. We get it twisted because he is not a skilled musician but he can play; but voice and performance are his gifts. I've seen him beat box a track and instruct drums on the spot, his ear is legendary so why do we minimize him?. I'm a prince guy but not to the detriment to MJ, Prince is a unique case but it would be fair to call MJ a genuis as well.

It's not about minimizing him. It's about putting things in perspective.

I think MJ wrote two of the greatest pop songs period, in Billie Jean and Shake Your Body.

Billie Jean will be enjoyed by people long after all of us here are long gone. That's no minimizing him.

But as good as Billie Jean is, nothing he did afterward came even close. He continued releasing well-produced well-sung songs into the 90's (unlike Prince) but nothing especially better or more interesing than whatever anyone else was doing.

MJ was and IS a cultural phenomenon, more than anything else. I think the Shirley Temple comparison is a apt one because she was also a cultural phenomenon, known and enjoyed throughout the world. That's not minimizing him.

The MJ we all came to know is here because the glitzy planets aligned for Thriller. Quincy Jones timeless production, MJ's great songs, equally hot at the time Eddie Van Halen on a track, hot 80's director John Landis directing his music video.They pulled out ALL the stops on this one grand PG record for the masses with no cuss words to titillation to offend mom or dad or keep them from buying it for the kids or themselves. And it all worked. MTV was new and young and in most homes by now, Entertainment Tonight was in everybody's living-room pumping up the entertainment machine. Fuck calling it marketing genius, It was marketing nirvana.

Is MJ talented? of course he was. A musical genius?...well it depends. If you want to include Mariah, Madonna, Sheirly Temple, Justin Timberlake and The Village People in the sphere of musical genius becasue of their scope of fame and celebrity, then I guess so.

But I wouldn't.

[Edited 9/7/10 9:57am]

I'd definitely wouldn't put Michael Jackson in the same scope as Timberlake and The Village People, that's for sure

dreamshaman32 said:

bashraka said:

I saw Hour 2 of this show, and they interviewed Neil Diamond and they asked him who were his greatest artists of all time and he replied "Louis Armstrong and Frank Sinatra" and the reporter said "Why them?" My beef with this list is that it doesn't include jazz music or gospel music. Jazz is the only original American musical artform so it's only right to include artists whose music greatly contributed to the aural performing arts. Where's John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bird, Ella Fitzgerald, Mahalia Jackson? for example. That's why I got so much respect for Andy Stewart, Sting, Phil Collins, Bruce Springsten,Prince, Hall and Oates and musicians like that, who readily acknowledge music and performers who may not be contemporary but their contributions directly and indirectly shaped the musical landscape past, present and future.

[Edited 9/6/10 21:35pm]

We talk about MJ's largesse and cultural impact? Frank Sinatra set the template for the modern vocalist, was the first teen idol, and for his time was BIGGER than MJ could ever be. Prince made one of the great rock movies but Frank won an Oscar for his acting and routinely bullied studios to make a gang of movies he wanted made. Hist chart success is only bettered by a handful of artist and the rappers who claim to be "Dons" because they have reality shows and colognes?. Sinatra at once was the biggest movie star/ singer and hanging with crime bosses ( who ruled 95% of unions & casino's) and the fucking President. Jay Z wets his pants at a dinner invite from Obama, Frank routinely chased ass with the most powerful men in the world. Music didnt start with Elvis, theres a reason HE chose to intigrate himself back into show business by appearing with Sinatra.

Sinatra was THAT DUDE back in the day

WELL I THINK THAT EVERYONE SHUD HAVE THEIR OWN TOP 100 LIST BECUZ VH1'S LIST IS 99.9 % BULL SH*T. SO IF I HAD I A LIST THESE WOULD BE MY TOP 10

#1 :THE KING OF POP,ROCK, N SOUL: MICHAEL JACKSON (YES MJ DEAL WITH IT )

#2: (AND A VERY VERY EXTREMELY CLOSE #2) PRINCE

#3: THE ARCHITECT AND TRUE KING OF ROCK N ROLL: LITTLE RICHARD

#4: THE GOD FATHER OF SOUL: JAMES BROWN

#5:JACKIE WILSON

#6:STEVIE WONDER

#7:RAY CHARLES

#8:FRANKIE LYMON

#9:JIMI HENDRIX

#10:THE OTHER KING OF ROCK N ROLL: CHUCK BERRY

( KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE ARE MY PERSONAL CHOICES AND SOME OF U MAY NOT AGREE AND THATS FIND BUT I BELIEVE IN GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. AND THIS IS JUST A TOP 10 LIST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD SO DNT TAKE IT OR MAKE IT PERSONAL)

jackson35 said:

explain how prince should be rank higher that stevie wonder?

Explain how Michael Jackson should.

HeyYou7865 said:

jackson35 said:

explain how prince should be rank higher that stevie wonder?

Explain how Michael Jackson should.

I'd put Stevie in the top 2

Hell, I'm still wondering how Justin Timberlake ranked higher than Otis Redding

mjwifey4l said:

WELL I THINK THAT EVERYONE SHUD HAVE THEIR OWN TOP 100 LIST BECUZ VH1'S LIST IS 99.9 % BULL SH*T. SO IF I HAD I A LIST THESE WOULD BE MY TOP 10

#1 :THE KING OF POP,ROCK, N SOUL: MICHAEL JACKSON (YES MJ DEAL WITH IT )

#2: (AND A VERY VERY EXTREMELY CLOSE #2) PRINCE

#3: THE ARCHITECT AND TRUE KING OF ROCK N ROLL: LITTLE RICHARD

#4: THE GOD FATHER OF SOUL: JAMES BROWN

#5:JACKIE WILSON

#6:STEVIE WONDER

#7:RAY CHARLES

#8:FRANKIE LYMON

#9:JIMI HENDRIX

#10:THE OTHER KING OF ROCK N ROLL: CHUCK BERRY

( KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE ARE MY PERSONAL CHOICES AND SOME OF U MAY NOT AGREE AND THATS FIND BUT I BELIEVE IN GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. AND THIS IS JUST A TOP 10 LIST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD SO DNT TAKE IT OR MAKE IT PERSONAL)

For me:

1: Stevie (thought I prefer MJ, Stevie is juat better)

2: MJ

3: Prince (Prince and MJ are equal for me)

4: James Brown

5: Jimi Hendrix

dreamshaman32 said

We talk about MJ's largesse and cultural impact? Frank Sinatra set the template for the modern vocalist, was the first teen idol, and for his time was BIGGER than MJ could ever be. Prince made one of the great rock movies but Frank won an Oscar for his acting and routinely bullied studios to make a gang of movies he wanted made. Hist chart success is only bettered by a handful of artist and the rappers who claim to be "Dons" because they have reality shows and colognes?. Sinatra at once was the biggest movie star/ singer and hanging with crime bosses ( who ruled 95% of unions & casino's) and the fucking President. Jay Z wets his pants at a dinner invite from Obama, Frank routinely chased ass with the most powerful men in the world. Music didnt start with Elvis, theres a reason HE chose to intigrate himself back into show business by appearing with Sinatra.

I completely agree on Ol' Blue eyes.

jackson35 said:

DaphneLovesPR1NCE said:

Yes, I know Stevie influenced Prince!! But that has no bearing on who is the better artist. All that proves is that Stevie was around 1st and that he was a good artist in Prince's opinion. Christiana Aguilera says Madonna influenced her..does that automatically mean Madonna is a better artist? Heck no! Because Madonna CAN'T sing, so she can't possibly be better than anyone, regardless of how many people she influenced!

dude stevie has put out more hits than prince since he was 12. stevie won grammys for album of the year back to back. every body and their mama cover his songs. prince cant hold stevie sunglases.

First off, hits don't equate being a better artist automatically!! Artists like Beyonce and Brittney Spears have ALOT of hits, that doesn't mean they are good artists. It just means they have good songs at that moment and they came out at the right time. Stevie is good, he had some hits, but that still does NOT make him a better artist than Prince. Prince is a better artist than Stevie. Period! Prince is an all around musician, he can sing the hell out of any genre and play many instruments geniusly. Stevie cannot. That alone, limits him in even being considered for being better than Prince. If you really expect to tell me that an artist that can sing 1 maybe 2 genres is much better than an artist that can successfully sing 5-6 genres, then you are crazy and don't know anything about music!!

vi0letblues said:

dreamshaman32 said:

MJ is an artist, there is documented footage of him "producing" just as much of thriller as Q. We get it twisted because he is not a skilled musician but he can play; but voice and performance are his gifts. I've seen him beat box a track and instruct drums on the spot, his ear is legendary so why do we minimize him?. I'm a prince guy but not to the detriment to MJ, Prince is a unique case but it would be fair to call MJ a genuis as well.

Is MJ talented? of course he was. A musical genius?...well it depends. If you want to include Mariah, Madonna, Sheirly Temple, Justin Timberlake and The Village People in the sphere of musical genius becasue of their scope of fame and celebrity, then I guess so.

But I wouldn't.

[Edited 9/7/10 9:57am]

Putting Michael Jackson in the same category as the Village People just lost you all credibility!! Michael Jackson's voice is superb and flawless!! He used his body as a tool and he embodied music and displayed it through dance. It wasn't just about marketing. Alot of people are marketed and still fail to make it big!! Also, considering the time when MJ came out as a solo act, people still weren't that open to an AA pop star!! He made it because he had "it." Michael Jackson does write music that lyrically could challege the most skilled songwriters, Prince included. His ear for good music was unmmatched. If one listens to MJ's cds, song for song, he keeps your attention and if listened to from an unbiased perspective, you can't deny the greatness of his songs!! His Bad, Dangerous, and Invincible were 3 of the best ablums to ever be made. You can go down that list and the songs are simply AMAZING!! I know his Thriller ablum is the biggest selling ablum of all time and will likely remain that way for years to come, but it's not his best work! Give me Purple Rain over Thriller anyday!! But Sign O The Times over Bad? Yeah, but just barely!! But I'm taking Dangerous and Invincible over Diamonds and Pearls and The Rainbow Children!! And that's saying something cause I'm all over Prince!!

DaphneLovesPR1NCE said:

vi0letblues said:

Is MJ talented? of course he was. A musical genius?...well it depends. If you want to include Mariah, Madonna, Sheirly Temple, Justin Timberlake and The Village People in the sphere of musical genius becasue of their scope of fame and celebrity, then I guess so.

But I wouldn't.

[Edited 9/7/10 9:57am]

Putting Michael Jackson in the same category as the Village People just lost you all credibility!! Michael Jackson's voice is superb and flawless!! He used his body as a tool and he embodied music and displayed it through dance. It wasn't just about marketing. Alot of people are marketed and still fail to make it big!! Also, considering the time when MJ came out as a solo act, people still weren't that open to an AA pop star!! He made it because he had "it." Michael Jackson does write music that lyrically could challege the most skilled songwriters, Prince included. His ear for good music was unmmatched. If one listens to MJ's cds, song for song, he keeps your attention and if listened to from an unbiased perspective, you can't deny the greatness of his songs!! His Bad, Dangerous, and Invincible were 3 of the best ablums to ever be made. You can go down that list and the songs are simply AMAZING!! I know his Thriller ablum is the biggest selling ablum of all time and will likely remain that way for years to come, but it's not his best work! Give me Purple Rain over Thriller anyday!! But Sign O The Times over Bad? Yeah, but just barely!! But I'm taking Dangerous and Invincible over Diamonds and Pearls and The Rainbow Children!! And that's saying something cause I'm all over Prince!!

putting pedo in the same sentence as Prince just lost U all sanity.

Odd that the orger above hasn't yet been banned due to the contentious nature of the majority of their posts.

Was there anyone from the org who was considered a "musician or

music expert" and got to vote in the list?

(I know there are tons of people on here who definitely consider

themselves music experts! - I love you guys and your opinions!)

scatwoman said:

Odd that the orger above hasn't yet been banned due to the contentious nature of the majority of their posts.

Odd that U think U have a point.

have U read Orwell?

SPOOKYGAS said:

scatwoman said:

Odd that the orger above hasn't yet been banned due to the contentious nature of the majority of their posts.

Odd that U think U have a point.

have U read Orwell?

Thanks for proving my point.

I've read many things, none of which have bored me as much as your tiresome posts.

scatwoman said:

SPOOKYGAS said:

Odd that U think U have a point.

have U read Orwell?

Thanks for proving my point.

I've read many things, none of which have bored me as much as your tiresome posts.

Scat means SHITE does it not?

SPOOKYGAS said:

scatwoman said:

Thanks for proving my point.

I've read many things, none of which have bored me as much as your tiresome posts.

Scat means SHITE does it not?

Or improvised jazz singing. Or to depart quickly, which sadly you didn't choose to do.

Miles?????????????????

smoothcriminal12 said:

mjwifey4l said:

WELL I THINK THAT EVERYONE SHUD HAVE THEIR OWN TOP 100 LIST BECUZ VH1'S LIST IS 99.9 % BULL SH*T. SO IF I HAD I A LIST THESE WOULD BE MY TOP 10

#1 :THE KING OF POP,ROCK, N SOUL: MICHAEL JACKSON (YES MJ DEAL WITH IT )

#2: (AND A VERY VERY EXTREMELY CLOSE #2) PRINCE

#3: THE ARCHITECT AND TRUE KING OF ROCK N ROLL: LITTLE RICHARD

#4: THE GOD FATHER OF SOUL: JAMES BROWN

#5:JACKIE WILSON

#6:STEVIE WONDER

#7:RAY CHARLES

#8:FRANKIE LYMON

#9:JIMI HENDRIX

#10:THE OTHER KING OF ROCK N ROLL: CHUCK BERRY

( KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE ARE MY PERSONAL CHOICES AND SOME OF U MAY NOT AGREE AND THATS FIND BUT I BELIEVE IN GIVING CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. AND THIS IS JUST A TOP 10 LIST OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD SO DNT TAKE IT OR MAKE IT PERSONAL)

For me:

1: Stevie (thought I prefer MJ, Stevie is juat better)

2: MJ

3: Prince (Prince and MJ are equal for me)

4: James Brown

5: Jimi Hendrix

imo:

1. Prince

2. Stevie Wonder

3. M. Jackson

4. Jimi Hendrix

5. James Brown

vi0letblues said:

dreamshaman32 said

We talk about MJ's largesse and cultural impact? Frank Sinatra set the template for the modern vocalist, was the first teen idol, and for his time was BIGGER than MJ could ever be. Prince made one of the great rock movies but Frank won an Oscar for his acting and routinely bullied studios to make a gang of movies he wanted made. Hist chart success is only bettered by a handful of artist and the rappers who claim to be "Dons" because they have reality shows and colognes?. Sinatra at once was the biggest movie star/ singer and hanging with crime bosses ( who ruled 95% of unions & casino's) and the fucking President. Jay Z wets his pants at a dinner invite from Obama, Frank routinely chased ass with the most powerful men in the world. Music didnt start with Elvis, theres a reason HE chose to intigrate himself back into show business by appearing with Sinatra.

I completely agree on Ol' Blue eyes.

It is also sad that african americans know very little about Franks Civil Rights record, he was gangsta when it came to his black friends. He respected talent pure and simple and he threw his weight around for Sammy, Nat, Ella, Count Basie etc. He also did a lot with MLK, it is shameful that we allow genre to cloud our educational process. Hugh Hefner was also a man black folks need to know more about when it comes to civil Rights.

DaphneLovesPR1NCE said:

vi0letblues said:

Is MJ talented? of course he was. A musical genius?...well it depends. If you want to include Mariah, Madonna, Sheirly Temple, Justin Timberlake and The Village People in the sphere of musical genius becasue of their scope of fame and celebrity, then I guess so.

But I wouldn't.

[Edited 9/7/10 9:57am]

Putting Michael Jackson in the same category as the Village People just lost you all credibility!! Michael Jackson's voice is superb and flawless!! He used his body as a tool and he embodied music and displayed it through dance. It wasn't just about marketing. Alot of people are marketed and still fail to make it big!! Also, considering the time when MJ came out as a solo act, people still weren't that open to an AA pop star!! He made it because he had "it." Michael Jackson does write music that lyrically could challege the most skilled songwriters, Prince included. His ear for good music was unmmatched. If one listens to MJ's cds, song for song, he keeps your attention and if listened to from an unbiased perspective, you can't deny the greatness of his songs!! His Bad, Dangerous, and Invincible were 3 of the best ablums to ever be made. You can go down that list and the songs are simply AMAZING!! I know his Thriller ablum is the biggest selling ablum of all time and will likely remain that way for years to come, but it's not his best work! Give me Purple Rain over Thriller anyday!! But Sign O The Times over Bad? Yeah, but just barely!! But I'm taking Dangerous and Invincible over Diamonds and Pearls and The Rainbow Children!! And that's saying something cause I'm all over Prince!!

Prince in a word association game/interview said "genuis" when MJ was mentioned, he didnt pause didnt hem n haw. Quincy Jones, Sammy Davis jr. James Brown, Stevie all called him genuis. I dont think he's in the Prince catagory musically but his artistic instinct is waay up there with the best ever. I watch a lot of his dance stuff on youtube and honestly he was trying to push his body to the point of musical instrument. I would have loved to see Prince and Mike just riffing, Prince on drums and MJ just dancing.