Recently uncovered recordings reveal that Michael Jackson thought Prince was a fuckface. The recordings, which were obtained by Mirror, were recorded three decades ago for Prince’s 1988 autobiography Moonwalker. Although the two never publicly acknowledged the feud, newly leaked stories about their relationship point to a bitter, testy rivalry that was played out over the course of a decade.
According to Consequence of Sound,
A heated game of ping-pong ended with Jackson walking out of the room and Prince gloating, “Did you see that? He played like Helen Keller.” When Jackson sought to collaborate with Prince on a song called “Bad”, Prince not only rejected the offer, he mockingly re-recorded the song and sent it back to MJ. When Jackson attended a Prince concert in 2006, Prince came out into the audience, walked right up to Jackson, and aggressively playing bass in his face.
Point to Prince for the Hellen Keller jab. No doubt that haunted MJ in his sleep.
Jackson also reveals in the 1988 audio tape that he does not like to be compared to the Purple Rain artist, claiming he is “one of the rudest people I’ve ever met” and that his success eclipses that of Prince’s in terms of longevity.
“I don’t like to be compared to Prince at all,” Jackson is quoted as saying. “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.”
Of course, this speculation sounds extra spooky now after Prince was found dead in his Minnesota home in April after an opoid overdose.
On a lighter note, Jackson continued to skewer Prince after falling into the crowd after mistaking a papier mâché stage lamppost for a real one at a James Brown tribute show in 1983, that both of them performed in.
“He made a fool of himself. He was a joke. People were running and screaming. I was so embarrassed. It was all on video.“
Check out the footage below. The whole video is pretty dope but fast forward to the 4:40 mark to see Prince take a tumble into the crowd.
When its all said and done, all the bitter competitiveness and rudeness Prince supposedly showed MJ pales in comparison to all the freaky shit coming out about The King of Pop.
Remembering Prince’s Top Live Performances
http://players.brightcove.net/3662002698001/5d3ea8fe-0a32-48fa-bc51-66e4657483dd_default/index.html?videoId=4856627581001
[h/t Mirror, Consequence of Sound]