Born the same year, peaked the same decade, defined pop from opposite directions. One was the biggest star on earth; the other played every instrument on the record. Pick your king.
Gary, Indiana · 1958–2009
Minneapolis · 1958–2016
Michael Jackson's scale is the largest in pop history, and his records are flawless. Thriller sold more than anything ever will again, and the dancing alone would make him immortal.
But Prince wrote, played, produced and performed his own catalogue at a level nobody else in pop has reached, and he did it for forty years without a collaborator he needed. Michael was the greatest performer; Prince was the greatest all-round musician. We're taking the musician.