'You didn't earn it': Michael Jackson's nephew Taj FURIOUS after Harry Styles called 'new King Of Pop'
LONDON, UNITED KINGDON: Michael Jackson's nephew Taj Jackson, 49, slammed Rolling Stone UK for calling Harry Styles the 'new King of Pop' on their cover. On August 22, 2022, the magazine unveiled the cover for the October/November issue of its UK edition, which featured the 'As It Was' singer wearing only a pair of pink sequined boxers and a white fur coat while holding a lit birthday cake. The outlet printed a subhead under the 28-year-old's name, "How the new King of Pop set the music world flame." Given how the title "King of Pop" has been commonly associated with Michael Jackson, the late hitmaker's nephew Taj Jackson took issue with it and wasn't afraid to confront the publication to defend his uncle.
Michael Jackson's estate has trademarked the phrase "King Of Pop" which was used extensively for the late pop icon both during his life and since his death. Taj took the matter to Twitter and wrote in response to Rolling Stone UK's tweet about the cover, "There is no new King of Pop." Taj, whose father is Michael's brother Tito Jackson, said, "You don't own the title @RollingStone, and you didn't earn it, my uncle did. Decades of dedication and sacrifice." Saying that the "title has been retired" since Michael's death in 2009, Taj issued a clarification in the same tweet, "No disrespect to @Harry_Styles," adding, "He's mega talented." Taj urged the magazine to give Harry "his own unique title" instead of making it seem like he was succeeding the 'Thriller' artist. The internet also agreed with Taj with one pointing out that someone "can't be King of Pop with 2 albums."
