1. Prince wants to steal the show from Michael Jackson – at James Brown’s concert
Prince was a competitive person from the beginning of his career – he was motivated by the fact that Michael Jackson sold more albums. In 1983, Jackson was already a superstar with “Thriller” and Prince was on the way there with “1999,” the first summit meeting took place – with James Brown in the middle. The soul senior first invited the somewhat reserved Jackson onto the stage, then Prince joined them. He was unbeatable with the guitar, MJ was left behind. The relationship between the two: cooled down first. Prince didn’t make it in front of the microphone once during his own performance. He wanted everything, too much of everything, and neglected to speak up.
2. Prince doesn’t want to take part in “We Are The World”.
In 1985, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie rallied stars for famine relief. Prince didn’t want to join the choir – but contributed a song for the record, “4 The Tears In Your Eyes”. His rejection was nevertheless seen as arrogance. Jacko was speechless again. Billy Crystal’s SNL spoof and message to Prince was just a formality – “I am the World”:
3. Prince plays ping-pong with Michael Jackson – and really wants to win
In 1986, Jackson wanted to smooth things over and visited Prince while he was filming “Under The Cherrymoon”. Prince, host through and through, invited people to table tennis. MJ: “I don’t know how to do it – but I’m doing my best!” Prince was inspired. As Jackson slowly lowered the racket over the course of the duel, his colleague played more and more aggressively: “You want me to slam it?” According to eyewitness reports, Prince is said to have aimed directly at Jackson’s privates several times. Here, too, it became clear that Prince always wanted to be number one. Michael Jackson would later say: “I stood on the stages of this world. From the age of eleven. When Prince released his debut in 1978, I was already in the middle of his career. Why should I compete with him?”
4. Prince doesn’t want to be “Bad”.
Jackson had big plans in 1987 with Bad, his first album since Thriller. The title track was sent to Prince as a duet offering. He couldn’t stop laughing. According to the plan, he was supposed to sing “Your Butt Is Mine” to Jacko, who in turn would become a hero for the rest of the song. In the 1994 interview, Prince reported that in Scorsese’s “Bad” clip, he was supposed to play Wesley Snipes – the ghetto villain who ends up losing.
5. Prince lets Jackson cover – as break music
In 1988 the rivalry was at its peak – both embarked on their biggest world tour to date. The aim was to finally outdo the other. Both toured in parallel in Europe for the first time. During his “Lovesexy” concert tour, Prince occasionally had his colleague and his “The Way You Make Me Feel” covered in the “80’s Medley” – by his backing band Madhouse while he himself changed.
6. Prince disses the self-proclaimed “King of Pop”
In 1992, Prince secured the highest-paying record deal to date for $80 million. Already in the “Love Symbol” opener “My Name Is Prince” he tackles his competitors head-on – Jackson had secured the title “King Of Pop” a year earlier. Prince’ rapper Tony M. shoots out the words: “You Have To Become A Prince Before You’re King Anyway.”
7. Prince honors Michael Jackson after his death
Prince was never a man of big words, and one could wait in vain for a statement on Jackson’s death in 2009. He paid homage to the great competitor who spurred him on to achieve top performance with something more beautiful: music. From then on, Prince integrated Jackson cover versions into his live sets, such as “Shake You Body” and “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” – and this time he also sang along.