Kid Cudi sparked a fiery online debate this week after referring to Michael Jackson’s creative output as “just music,” a comment that instantly triggered pushback from fans of the King of Pop.
It all started when Cudi tweeted about his long-term ambition: “My mission has always been to at some point in my life be recognized as one of the greatest artists of all time. Everything I make is a stamp in my journey to greatness. The ride ain’t over no time soon.”
A fan quickly jumped in with, “Can never surpass MJ.” Cudi responded with a now-deleted message clarifying the difference he sees between his own creative goals and Jackson’s legacy.
“Michael was the greatest, but he was just music,” he wrote. “I’m thinkin more than music. I wanna be known as one of the greatest becuz of my range creatively in the arts. Music, visual arts (painting), fashion, directing, acting, etc.”
Those comments were all it took to ignite a full-blown backlash from MJ’s fiercely loyal fanbase. Many rushed to defend Jackson, insisting his impact stretched far beyond the music itself. Fans pointed to his dominance in performance, fashion, choreography, music videos, global pop culture, and the massive creative control he had over his projects.
“Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Songwriters Hall of Fame. Dance Hall of Fame. MTV’s Video Vanguard Award named after him. But he was just music. Right…” one person wrote. Another chimed in, “Imagine being so ignorant of Michael Jackson’s artistry that you imply he wasn’t a fashion icon, visual arts pioneer, writer, artist, director, and actor. He was all that and MORE.”
Kid Cudi’s remarks speak to his drive to branch out far beyond music and build a full-fledged multi-disciplinary creative identity. His debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, he’s widely credited with helping push mainstream conversations about mental health forward in hip-hop. Outside of music, he’s appeared in HBO’s How to Make It in America, X, Trap, and is currently writing and directing his first Netflix feature, Teddy.
The multihyphenate has also rolled out multiple clothing lines under his creative universe — including Members of the Rage and WZRD — and his visual art has been featured in projects like his memoir.
Interestingly, Cudi may have taken a page from MJ’s playbook when 33-foot statues of himself appeared in Southern California, New York, and Paris to promote his 2024 album INSANO. Michael Jackson’s iconic 1995 HIStory rollout famously featured a 32-foot statue of the singer towering over major cities across the globe.
