Jay-Z has sparked debate on social media after comparing his wife Beyoncé to the late Michael Jackson.
“Bey’s gonna be mad at [me] for saying this but Michael Jackson never had a Coachella,” he said in a Twitter Spaces chat with Alicia Keys and Rob Markman, referring to Bey’s 2018 performance at the festival.
“Find me a concert that's as culturally relevant and thrilling as Coachella,” said Jay-Z. “Beyoncé is gonna be one of the best singers we ever heard because she is such a student.”
Jay-Z said Beyoncé is “the evolution” of Jackson, who died in 2009.
It didn’t take long for fans to weigh in on Twitter. Here's a sample of the reactions:
Beyonce is one of the greatest entertainers the industry has ever seen and will ever see.
— Sisa (@TheTitanBaddie) December 22, 2021
Nobody is operating at the same level as her creatively, as a vocalist, as a visual artist and as a live performer. Not her peers, not her predecessors and not anyone working right now. pic.twitter.com/Fn9aU9rqNG
Beyoncé was pregnant & singin upside down at FWT, pregnant & throwin up when she did glastonbury, sick when she sang her face off at oprah's show. Michael jackson sprained his ankle & did an entire perfomance sittin down & lipsyncin for his life. the bar is SO low for men.TUH
— (fan account) (@Athenadrip) December 22, 2021
Jay Z is comparing Beyonce to Michael Jackson when it comes to Coachella, but Michael left before various ave of digital streaming were created. He was pulling Coachella's reaction at any given concert without social media and entertainment platforms.
— Pamela Isley (@MoodiesPoint) December 22, 2021
I Love Beyoncé but don’t take it too far saying she’s better than Michael Jackson
— Ty (@tysorosey) December 22, 2021
Me learning how to faint at Beyoncé next tour, so she can finally be the greatest performer of all time pic.twitter.com/nGO7GwPVom
— Mugiwara⁷ no Yoncé⁴ (@mugiwaranoyonce) December 22, 2021
And here's Beyoncé the only black artist who grossed over a billion in tours. https://t.co/sUJ3iM97va pic.twitter.com/sU6Rpdkemy
— Ivy Park's Apprentice (@TrellBeyFierce) December 22, 2021
Y’all are so jealous of a beyonce and hate how blackity black talented she is. MJ never made me proud to be black and that’s facts. Coachella is the most culturally relevant concert in black history. Period
— Dez’Manian (@Dezmanian_) December 22, 2021
No, they really weren’t, Conceptually, thematically, vocally, musically…Michael does not have a Coachella type performance. No one does but Beyoncé. https://t.co/L4ijlJe0S7
— ♂️ (@virtuosointel) December 22, 2021
Jay-Z said “Michael Jackson never had a Coachella”.
— ༺࿅ིཽ• •࿅ིཽ༻ (@ThrillerGlitter) December 22, 2021
B!tch everywhere Michael Jackson went—that’s Coachella. He’s pulling crowds without social media, 7 sold out concerts in Wembley with the demand for 20x over for his bad tour alone. pic.twitter.com/ZnCSjBWGex
Arguing about Beyonce and Michael Jackson is just something I feel like we should never do. Just like when people get to comparing Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. Some topics are just off limits because it never ends well lol
— The Last (@LikeMike_911) December 22, 2021