Most music afficionados were aware of the beef between late icons Prince and Michael Jackson. For years, the two artists had a grudge match that was bound to their status as mega Pop stars. Over the years, the pair crossed paths and made remarks about each other via the media — however, it was comments made by the “Moonwalker” actor and leaked after his death that exhibit just how strongly he wasn’t feeling Prince.
In 2016 — months after Prince passed and seven years following Michael Jackson‘s death — audios from 1988 were leaked that the “Beat It” singer had made while developing his memoir Moonwalk. In one snippet, Jackson spoke about the “Raspberry Beret” vocalist, and not amicably. Jackson spoke: “I don’t like to be compared to Prince at all. I have proven myself since I was real little. It’s not fair. He feels like I’m his opponent. I hope he changes because boy, he’s gonna get hurt. He’s the type that might commit suicide or something.” The Jackson 5 star added, “He was so rude, one of rudest people I have ever met. Prince is very competitive. He has been very mean and nasty to my family.”
Michael Jackson and Prince‘s beef is rumored to have set off in 1983 in Los Angeles during a James Brown concert. The “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” singer called Jackson to the stage, and he momentarily danced and sang. Brown then said to the audience, “[Jackson] just insisted that I introduce Prince.” The “Purple Rain” actor joined the two on stage where he took his shirt off, played guitar and began dancing prior to knocking down a tall prop streetlight.
In recordings of Moonwalk, Jackson spoke about the James Brown show also, supplying proof that he longed-for Prince to fail at the concert. Jackson remarked: “He [Prince] made a fool of himself. He was a joke. People were running and screaming. I was so embarrassed. It was all on video!” Additionally, Prince chose not to take part in the star-studded record “We Are the World” (1985), and he declined when asked to record “Bad” (1987) as a duet with Jackson.
How do you feel about Prince and Michael Jackson‘s rivalry?
Image Credit: CARL DE SOUZA / Staff | Getty Images
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