Kanye West turns 40 today, and few artists have achieved as much as he has by that age. Over the past few years, Kanye has taken to comparing himself to some of the most lofty figures modern artistic and consumer history. Walt Disney and Steve Jobs famously come to mind, but we decided to compare him to someone that we probably shouldn’t have (just as Kanye would probably prefer it): The one and only King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
Few artists have had as big an impact on pop music as Michael Jackson, but can the same be argued for Yeezy? We looked at some of their biggest accomplishments last the age of 40 to see if Kanye can ever come close to the greatness that was Michael Jackson. It’s also worth noting that Kanye didn’t get his start as a solo artist until his late 20s; MJ was putting out platinum hits before puberty.
What do y’all think, is this blasphemy or should Kanye get some credit for changing pop music throughout his career?