http://www.blackplanet.co...5&CATID=13



by Jelani Harper

They grew up before our eyes, two not so dissimilar figures with a penchant for facial make-up and high notes, spin moves and chart toppers that grew and grew until their records, their very legacies, sprang to life to dominate popular culture as their own.

20 years ago they were intrinsically linked as the highest form of black music expression in the world; one the darling wonder of America, the other the dark prince seducing your daughter to get crazy in his little red corvette.

For one fateful turn of the seasons in 1984 their records battled with one another atop charts and living room discussions alike, vying for the very heart and soul of a nation leaving a race of people divided down the middle as the question raged: who was the true king of pop, Michael Jackson or Prince?

Jackson, for his part, has always had the numbers on his side. If this debate were merely a popularity contest and sales the deciding factor, Jackson would have won today just like he did 20 years ago when both men were at the apex of their fame. No solo artist has outsold the enigmatic singer whose magnum opus, Thriller, sold 25 million copies in the U.S. and another 20 million overseas. With over 59 million sales to his credit, Jackson achieved the rare feat of having seven of Thriller`s nine cuts reach the top 10 singles positions for two years straight while he grabbed an unprecedented eight Grammy`s in one fell swoop. Prince, whose most widely purchased album, the soundtrack to Purple Rain, peaked around 13 million, has never been able to outsell his more commercially viable counterpart.

But numbers don`t always tell the whole story. Or perhaps they do. One figure that Prince has always had in his favor is the fact that he`s churned out nearly a record a year since he debuted with 1978`s For You. While Jackson has only been able to record nine original albums in the 32 years since he came into the game as a solo artist with 1972`s Got To Be There (averaging nearly five years between releases). Prince is responsible for a staggering 25 full-length releases in his 26-year career. If you consider the fact that eight of those albums have gone at least platinum, Prince`s modest 36 million sales to date indicate he`s won the fans vote at the polls nearly as much as Michael.

So if the numbers game ends in a draw, there`s always the talent factor to consider. Michael would be hard pressed to catch up to Prince in the god-given musical ability department. For all his posturing, record-breaking tour sales and innovative work in the genre of music videos, the gloved one is essentially a singer. He doesn`t make music, but has a knack for grabbing the hottest producers at the time to create the studio magic millions have grown to adore. But outside of, Stevie Wonder, you would be hard pressed to find a more hands-on musician than Prince. His highness is not only an accomplished vocalist and dancer/performer in his own right, but he`s also a producer, a composer, and a pianist who is equally at home on the guitar, bass or live drums.

Twenty years later, their lives have turned down distinctly different paths. Michael, the more commercially successful of the two, went on to live his life as a recluse on his Neverland ranch, rarely sticking his head out except to record or perform. For his part, Prince has remained a figure in his humble beginnings of Minneapolis, Minnesota while continuingto oversee virtually every aspect of his music. Not only does he continue to record, perform and produce other artists, he was also a pioneering figure in the groundbreaking practice of selling music on the internet.

If sales and media hoopla are the measure, then Michael Jackson can keep his self-appointed title of King of Pop. But if dedication and devotion to the crafting of music are what`s really important, then this contributor says long live the Prince.

Tell it like it is!

Whilst we're at it can we decide whether you're dad is better than my dad?

I'm sure mine's better

it's nice to hear something like that from blackplanet. not too many quality things come from that site.