#JAY-Z Addresses Beyoncé + Michael Jackson Comparisons: 'Bey's Gonna Be Mad At This'

Beyoncé is a first class entertainer — that can’t be disputed. But as one of the most famous pop stars in the world, she’s often subjected to scrutiny. Some praise her ability to sing and dance, while others find her grossly overrated. JAY-Z, however, is her biggest fan and always speaks highly of his superstar wife.

On Tuesday (December 21), JAY-Z joined Alicia Keys for a Twitter Spaces chat where he addressed the comparisons between the late Michael Jackson and Beyoncé. As far as he’s concerned, Beyoncé has surpassed the King of Pop in terms of accomplishments.

“Bey’s gonna be mad at this for saying this but Michael Jackson never had a Coachella, she’s an evolution of him because she watched him at 9,” he said. “And [the kids are] the same. Find me another concert that’s as culturally relevant and thrilling as Coachella. Beyoncé is gonna be one of the best singers we ever heard because she is such a student.”

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Beyoncé has long been predicted to be at least on the same level as Michael Jackson. In 2015, Charlamagne Tha God told Vlad TV Queen Bee is the MJ of our generation.

“I’m a Beyonce fan,” Charlamagne said. “I think she’s dope. I think she’s the greatest entertainer that our generation has seen. I mean, the previous generation had Michael Jackson. But for our generation I think it’s Beyonce. And I even put—You can’t compare anybody to anybody. Michael Jackson is a god. He’s legendary. He’s on a totally different level.

“But Beyoncé, if she’s not already, she absolutely will be on that same level. She will be looked upon in the same regards, if not more, as Michael Jackson was. That’s just the truth to the matter. People hate when I say that, but you’ll see in the future. It’s gonna happen.”

The Breakfast Club host also addressed Kid Rock’s statements to Rolling Stone at the time, who questioned how Beyoncé was so famous without a song such as Prince’s “Purple Rain” or Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.”

“It’s different eras,” he said. “‘Purple Rain,’ totally different era. ‘Sweet Home Alabama,’ totally different era. If you look at a song like—Let’s say ‘Single Ladies’ for example. The cultural impact of ‘Single Ladies’ was incredible…That shit got spoofed by Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake.

“It sold a lot of records. It had everybody doing that ‘Single Ladies’ hand gesture dance. So, it’s just different ways for a record to impact. Those are classic records that people love, love. Beyonce has classic records that people absolutely love and adore to this day. So, I can’t compare her to a ‘Purple Rain.’”