Late superstar Michael Jackson’s family is making it known they aren’t happy about Rolling Stone magazine’s latest cover featuring Harry Styles, labeling him “the new King of Pop.”
The October cover of the UK Rolling Stone magazine was posted on Twitter Monday, featuring the 28-year-old singer wearing an ivory-colored coat with shimmering pink sequined shorts. The message on the cover read, “Harry Styles: How the new King of Pop set the music world aflame.” It can be seen here.
“There is no new King of Pop,” the late singer’s nephew Taj Jackson tweeted about the cover featuring the former member of One Direction. “You don’t own the title [Rolling Stone], and you didn’t earn it, my uncle did.”
“Decades of dedication and sacrifice,” the tweet added. “The title has been retired. No disrespect to [Harry Styles], he’s mega talented. Give him his own unique title.”
There is no new King of Pop. You don’t own the title @RollingStone, and you didn’t earn it, my uncle did. Decades of dedication and sacrifice. The title has been retired. No disrespect to @Harry_Styles, he’s mega talented. Give him his own unique title. https://t.co/td6SSSVkfX
— Taj Jackson (@tajjackson3) August 22, 2022
And he wasn’t the only person who took issue with anointing the “Watermelon Sugar” hitmaker with the title of “King” of pop music. Styles solo career started with his self-titled debut album in 2017.
One person tweeted, “being called the ‘new king of pop’ while not even being close to what Michael Jackson was is sick.”
“There is no such thing as the new King of Pop,” another tweeted. “Michael Jackson holds that title forever. This is so embarrasing wtf.”
One Jackson fan posted a former cover of the Rolling Stone magazine from its 2003 Yearbook calling pop star Justin Timberlake “The New King of Pop” to get their point across.
lol, what? Nothing against Harry Styles, but he's not the new King of Pop. That title still belongs to Michael Jackson. You lot called Justin Timberlake the same thing & that was also a huge fail. Stop trying to take the crown away from MJ. It's not happening. https://t.co/I6VKBV4ZoJ pic.twitter.com/1Zrn2UZHJ6
— Sha Hartley (@shahartley) August 22, 2022
“Lol, what?” the person wrote. “Nothing against Harry Styles, but he’s not the new King of Pop. That title still belongs to Michael Jackson. You lot called Justin Timberlake the same thing & that was also a huge fail. Stop trying to take the crown away from MJ. It’s not happening.”
a prerequisite to even coming close to being coined the “new king of pop” is being black. cuz the current king of pop is black. meaning that’s who you’re “competing”with. if you don’t have to shatter racial boundaries, you cannot compete.
cut the shit.
— CHIKA 🌪 (@oranicuhh) August 22, 2022
This title belongs to the black man who worked his ass off since the age of 5, who was a veteran by the age of 15, broke racial barriers and revolutionized the music industry. Michael Jackson is THEE King of Pop of EVERY generation. https://t.co/3jxtYWCHOa
— 𝓥𝓮𝓻𝓸𝓷𝓲𝓬𝓪💫 | fan account (@iamveronica777) August 22, 2022
rolling stone (uk) calling harry styles the king of pop is a very bold move considering the most notable person to hold the king of pop title is michael jackson. how do you put michael jackson and harry styles on the same level with a straight face.
— sk (@kirkxxs) August 22, 2022
Earlier in the day, the official Michael Jackson Twitter page, followed by millions of followers, shared a photo of the “Beat It” hitmaker gracing the cover of SOUL Newspaper in 1979 at the age of 21.
This week in 1979, “Michael at 21” was the cover story for SOUL Newspaper. Founded in 1966 in Los Angeles, this Black owned publication devoted to Black music, featured Michael on the cover several times, including his first solo appearance in August of 1970. pic.twitter.com/LVyrBITLG3
— Michael Jackson (@michaeljackson) August 22, 2022
Jackson died at the age of 50 in 2009 following nearly four decades of hits as a solo artist starting in 1971.