Michael Jackson vs James Brown
Who? Pick one and see how the world splits.
- Michael Jackson United States · 1958–2009 82% · #1 in the world
- James Brown United States · 1933–2006 18% · #137 in the world
What the votes say
A landslide: the world picks Michael Jackson over James Brown, 82% to 18%. Michael Jackson is #1 of the 350 musicians in the world ranking and James Brown #137; among the 217 from the United States, they are #1 and #67.
The case for each
Michael Jackson: Thriller, Bad and the moonwalk: the King of Pop's dancing borrowed openly from James Brown, whom Jackson called his greatest inspiration. Thriller is the best-selling album ever.
James Brown: The Godfather of Soul and the Hardest Working Man in Show Business: 'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag', 'Sex Machine' and the birth of funk. Brown's rhythms became the most sampled in hip-hop.
Side by side
| Michael Jackson | James Brown | |
|---|---|---|
| World rank | #1 | #137 |
| Country | United States | United States |
| Lived | 1958–2009 | 1933–2006 |