Who’s left less of a cultural/musical legacy? I suppose stripping modern black music of its grittier R & B roots for a robotic electropop sheen counts for something, but wasn’t Prince doing the same thing better? Influential but not at all in a good way - it’s made 90% of modern soul unbearable. New Jack Shit! And only two of his songs survive in the omnipresent public consciousness and you know exactly which hits. Billie Jean and Beat It so overshadow the rest of his work they make the rest look like throwaways. Bing Crosby still only has one, White Christmas, so Jacko beats the Bingster.

Comparisons to Elvis & the Beatles aren’t necessary to bring up, are they? Heck, Madonna has left a greater legacy. More beloved songs and every female singer from Britney to Gaga to Swift follows in her wake. Female pop is clearly and easily divided into the pre and post Madonna eras. You can’t say that about contemporary black music and Michael Jackson. As he never really innovated much of anything aside from cool dance moves, either musically or lyrically (again, Prince leaves him in the dust on both counts).