Ignatz Mouse
Banned
Prince by a mile.
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At their absolute peak who was cooler between Michael Jackson and Prince?
- Thread starter bionic77
- Start date
I don't think a lot of people could actually pull off dressing like Prince.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
Just googled the Prince (always forget who he is exactly, apart from being musician - in my country he's an obscure celebrity) and going by looks/fashion/aesthetics MJ feels way cooler to me. Not gonna lie that there's bias since MJ is one of my all-time favorite musicians and/or performers.
I think I like HIStory more than Off the Wall honestly.
I am of the opinion that Prince is more consistent but MJ had higher peaks. The peaks are what matter to me though, since MJ's peaks appeal to me a lot more than anything Prince ever did.
Massive Duck. C.M.
Banned
Prince no doubt.
Auto-Reply
Member
Both peaked for different reasons, specific reasons. One was cooler than the other but that gets reversed depending on the age you had experienced their career the most.
It was simply that Prince always had a way stronger sexual theme/tone going on with everything he did, his music videos seemed always centered around that. If you were not old enough then that was mainly lost on you. That also made him seem like a more "grown up" artist, which was cooler for people that were a bit older. On the other hand, MJ seemed like a more universally skilled artist, more themes, never was as strong as Prince in his field but way stronger in all other fields... if that makes sense.
It was simply that Prince always had a way stronger sexual theme/tone going on with everything he did, his music videos seemed always centered around that. If you were not old enough then that was mainly lost on you. That also made him seem like a more "grown up" artist, which was cooler for people that were a bit older. On the other hand, MJ seemed like a more universally skilled artist, more themes, never was as strong as Prince in his field but way stronger in all other fields... if that makes sense.
highrider
Banned
I kind of figured everyone would say Prince but it's definitely Michael by a huge margin. I've seen both artists live at their peak, multiple women didn't need to be carried out of Prince concerts. The power Michael Jackson had as a performer will unlikely be even scraped for the next 100 years.
Edit: cool to me is something where I think, man I wish I could do that, be like that. Prince, while dope, was never that for me.
Edit: cool to me is something where I think, man I wish I could do that, be like that. Prince, while dope, was never that for me.
Opinion's are subjective, but you have to be totally ignorant of what Prince actually did if you think this.
Start here:
VistraNorrez
Member
Cool and popular are not interchangeable. You can be cool and popular. But being one does not make you the other. Often cool people are not that popular. And someone becoming too popular can become uncool.
With that said, Prince is cooler than MJ. I'm not sure if MJ is that cool at all really. Much more popular than Prince, yes, but not cooler. It's actually cooler for Prince to be the less popular of the two.
And both were weirdos. But Prince's weirdness was cool, MJ's was not. I think peak MJ coolness was from Jackson 5 to Off The Wall. He seemed to want to hold on to childhood too much after that and it became very uncool. And seeming cool to little kids is not cool at all.
With that said, Prince is cooler than MJ. I'm not sure if MJ is that cool at all really. Much more popular than Prince, yes, but not cooler. It's actually cooler for Prince to be the less popular of the two.
And both were weirdos. But Prince's weirdness was cool, MJ's was not. I think peak MJ coolness was from Jackson 5 to Off The Wall. He seemed to want to hold on to childhood too much after that and it became very uncool. And seeming cool to little kids is not cool at all.
Wandering Robot
Member
I have to agree with the cool != popular crowd here and say Prince was/is way cooler.
mikespit1200
Member
Prince didn't just seem cool, he was cool. See: the Charlie Murphy Chappelle Show bit about playing basketball and eating pancakes. That all being said, the first five Prince albums might be untouchable in my opinion.
BlueTsunami
there is joy in sucking dick
Rita Ora ain't the greatest musician of all time tho
Also discount MJ? Nigga what? Nigga who?
The man who taught himself to play 23 instruments by 17, wrote and produced his shit, wrote and produced other famous artists' shit, had a reign lasting decades, and was just a phenomenal artist?
Let him know!
Godzilla's Left Toe
Member
Prince
Kid Kamikaze10
Member
A little extra coolness when it comes to 1999 to love symbol Prince.
That whole Minnesota sub genre. If you liked a song from an artist around there, more than likely that song was made by Prince, or was Prince's song.
The Time? Prince. Apollonia/Vanity 6? Prince. A bunch of one hit wonders? Prince.
And if we want to get really real about it, without Prince there would be no Janet Jackson.
Why? Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Time, Prince. Those two alone cover a whole lot of 80s music.
That's influence.
That whole Minnesota sub genre. If you liked a song from an artist around there, more than likely that song was made by Prince, or was Prince's song.
The Time? Prince. Apollonia/Vanity 6? Prince. A bunch of one hit wonders? Prince.
And if we want to get really real about it, without Prince there would be no Janet Jackson.
Why? Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Time, Prince. Those two alone cover a whole lot of 80s music.
That's influence.
au contraire
Renegade Frost
Banned
I'd say that MIchael Jackson's work ethic was unmatched.
The dude was realer than real.
To me that's the real cool
Prince has flair, Michael lived his message.
MJ always felt more real to me
So MJ.
The proper way to describe Prince is smooth. Smooth and suave is very different than cool.
The dude was realer than real.
To me that's the real cool
Prince has flair, Michael lived his message.
MJ always felt more real to me
So MJ.
The proper way to describe Prince is smooth. Smooth and suave is very different than cool.
Battlezone
Member
Not to mention all of the singles he wrote/produced/influenced without being credited - most notably Manic Monday (The Bangles), Stand Back (Stevie Nicks), Sussudio (Phil Collins) and of course, Nothing Compares 2 U (which was originally written for Prince side act The Family, and later covered by Sinead O'Connor).
chicko1983
Member
Prince was cooler.
MJ was way more famous around the world. His audience was much bigger. The biggest pop star of all time. I like to think how big he would have been if social media and YouTube existed back then, because he was massive without it.
MJ was way more famous around the world. His audience was much bigger. The biggest pop star of all time. I like to think how big he would have been if social media and YouTube existed back then, because he was massive without it.
Bobby Roberts
Banned
There is almost nothing resembling accuracy in any part of this
Get up on that Minneapolis Sound
(Prince had nothing to do with Sussudio. Phil Collins just basically fan-edited 1999)
teruterubozu
Member
Everyone was cool and larger than life in the 80s. The internet and constant tabloid journalism killed all that, fortunately and unfortunately.
Prince's philanthropy is actually really commendable. he was a Jehovah's Witness and I don't think they're allowed to toot their own horn in that regard so a lot of the stories about Prince doing acts of kindness started coming out after he passed.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/n...hilanthropist-his-cause-was-humanity-20160425
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/f...tists-lifetime-of-secret-charity-work-w460865
Prince would literally schedule concerts as a front to help the community there so in terms of what Prince talked about in his music and what he did he absolutely lived his message
his work ethic is well documented so you shouldn't have any problem researching that and realizing you might have that claim backwards as well
Nigga what
Battlezone
Member
I had always heard he sampled a keyboard arrangement from Prince, and Prince didn't bother going after him over it. Hence the "influenced" part of my comment.
And I'm plenty up on the Minneapolis sound. That was pretty much the soundtrack of my childhood.
SecretMoblin
Member
Yes the Minneapolis sound is still generating hits to this day, he did that.
Everyone wanted to collab with him, Madonna and Kate Bush and Cyndi Lauper and even The fucking Bangles (he wrote Manic Monday and gave it to them so he could fuck Susanna Hoffs, a move ONLY LEGENDS make).
He actually changed the sound of pop music and R&B, every "cool" pop star or slow jam artist siphons off His fundamental coolness
Oh man. If the question were worded differently there could be an interesting debate, but I don't think there's an argument for MJ here. Prince was easily the coolest artist of his generation behind Bowie.
MJ was the most popular of course, but he also had a (clearly justified) halo of weirdness and suspicion and dysfunction around him. Prince was, I think, the right kind of weird. The tone of the eulogies following their deaths (even when both happened in similar circumstances) is a good testament of who was cooler.
MJ was the most popular of course, but he also had a (clearly justified) halo of weirdness and suspicion and dysfunction around him. Prince was, I think, the right kind of weird. The tone of the eulogies following their deaths (even when both happened in similar circumstances) is a good testament of who was cooler.
EYEL1NER
Member
Prince for sure. I know that plenty of people watched MJ and thought "Damn, I wanna BE that guy" but I never had that reaction to him. I like his music and I don't deny that he was a force of nature and one of the biggest entertainers to ever exist (if not the biggest). Every time I see Prince though, I wish I was him. I enjoy watching Prince's performances, Purple Rain, whatever, but it is bittersweet because in the back of my mind I know I can't ever be that cool. Prince was the man. Even alpha male bro-dawgs look at petite Prince singing like a woman with makeup and high heels on and think "Fuck yeah, that guy is the MAN!!!"
Alcotholic
Banned
Prince was cooler. MJ was the better performer and musician.
Random Human
They were trying to grab your prize. They work for the mercenary. The masked man.
Prince seems way cooler whenever you hear stories from people who met him.
MJ was cooler. Coming from The Jackson 5 rocking an afro and doing the robot dance moves to Jerry curl 1979 Off The Wall MJ was Disco at its best.
Thriller put MJ on another level, glitter socks the one glove, the ground lighting up when he walked. The moonwalker....the superior spin move compared to Prince.
Man for us of black culture, both artist represented... but MJ looked like the times style wise.
To alot of music heads Off The Wall is one of MJ's best albums which I don't even see posters acknowledging in this thread.
MJ also had spectacle. Think of your favorite AAA games but in musical form. That is/was MJ.
MJ wasn't called 'King of Pop' for no fucking reason. Respect the GOAT, and some of y'all on that weirdo shit with MJ. Nah, far from it.
Can't wait for a real MJ biopic....done right nothing that's out now so don't suggest.
MJ + Quincy Jones + Rod Temperton = Off The Wall and Thriller.
MJ even had beef with his brother Jermaine. Jermaine even made a diss song to him.
Word To The Badd ~ https://youtu.be/EIdzNLnzdhw
Thriller put MJ on another level, glitter socks the one glove, the ground lighting up when he walked. The moonwalker....the superior spin move compared to Prince.
Man for us of black culture, both artist represented... but MJ looked like the times style wise.
To alot of music heads Off The Wall is one of MJ's best albums which I don't even see posters acknowledging in this thread.
MJ also had spectacle. Think of your favorite AAA games but in musical form. That is/was MJ.
MJ wasn't called 'King of Pop' for no fucking reason. Respect the GOAT, and some of y'all on that weirdo shit with MJ. Nah, far from it.
Can't wait for a real MJ biopic....done right nothing that's out now so don't suggest.
MJ + Quincy Jones + Rod Temperton = Off The Wall and Thriller.
MJ even had beef with his brother Jermaine. Jermaine even made a diss song to him.
Word To The Badd ~ https://youtu.be/EIdzNLnzdhw
RespectThySole
Member
Love MJ but Prince is way cooler and easily the better musician as well. The lineup of women he had is insane. How could the answer not be Prince?
teruterubozu
Member
I don't know about the longer part. MJ went through the Motown years with the Jackson 5, went through disco with his early solo stuff and hit 80s pop at his peak. He went through several generations of American popular music as a mega star.
Perfomer, yeah. Musician... I think that could be argued. Prince was supremely talented.
Dutch Gronk
Banned
Bionic, you are right about a lot of things, but not this.
Prince was way cooler.
Prince was way cooler.
Better musician? We got some trolls in here.
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