Whoever manages the star’s property in turn castigates this controversial ranking, believing that the “King of pop” should have been in the Top 10.
Almost two weeks after its release, the ranking of the “200 best singers of all time” published by the magazine RollingStone always arouses outrage. This time, it’s the turn of John Branca, former manager of Michael Jackson and current co-responsible for his property, to criticize an “absolutely strange” classification in a message posted on Instagram.
This ranking has been the subject of criticism from Internet users since it was unveiled. The main sources of misunderstanding are the absence of Celine Dion and the place of Michael Jackson, undoubtedly one of the most influential artists in contemporary pop, relegated to 86th position. And it is on these two points that John Branca insists:
“They snubbed Celine Dion, one of pop’s greatest voices, and ranked Michael Jackson 86th – are you kidding the world?” he wrote. “Both should be in the Top 10. No wonder I don’t read Rolling Stone anymore.”
“And by the way, who are these critics?”
In the video that accompanies this legend, the one who officiates as a lawyer in show business details his criticisms: “Michael Jackson, in terms of style and voice, is one of the most influential in history (…) Do you think there are haters among these critics, or are they driven by political correctness?” A barely hidden allusion to the accusations of pedophilia which weigh on the singer who died in 2009, relaunched in 2019 by the testimonies of two alleged victims in the documentary Leaving Neverland.
“And besides, who are these critics?” asks John Branca. “You need a team of supervisors, so that we can subject these criticisms to criticism”. The American magazine specified in its publication that the ranking had been produced by the editorial staff and its main contributors.
“They seem to think that if you have colossal success, it’s not compatible with legendary talent. That’s not true. Colossal success is synonymous with legendary talent,” he continues. And to conclude by considering that Celine Dion and Michael Jackson are among the four greatest artists of all time, alongside Mariah Carey and Elvis Presley.
Madonna, Cher and Judy Garland also forgotten
Other elements of the ranking were criticized by Internet users, in particular the absences of Judy Garland, Madonna and Cher. RollingStone had set out its selection criteria in the preamble of the famous classification. With wording that hinted that he expected disagreements:
“Before perusing this ranking (and commenting on it), keep in mind that this is the list of the greatest singers, not the greatest voices. The talent is impressive, but the genius is transcendent.”
