While both Prince and Michael Jackson are beloved in the R&B genre, the two stars never really got along. There are countless stories of the two showing each other disdain, though neither publicly addressed the feud. Still, that doesn’t mean they didn’t speak about each other privately.
In newly-obtained audio by Daily Mirror, Jackson recorded a lengthy rant against Prince, calling him “rude,” “competitive,” “mean,” and more. The audio, which was recorded by Jackson for his biography Moonwalker, really puts this rivalry in the spotlight.
“I don’t like to be compared to Prince at all,” Jackson says. “I have proven myself since I was real little. It’s not fair. He feels like I’m his opponent. I hope he changes because boy, he’s gonna get hurt. He’s the type that might commit suicide or something.”
“He was so rude, one of rudest people I have ever met… Prince is very competitive. He has been very mean and nasty to my family.”
The tapes also allegedly see MJ making fun of the famous collaboration that saw him, Prince, and James Brown share the stage. “He made a fool of himself. He was a joke… People were running and screaming. I was so embarrassed. It was all on video.” Indeed, you can watch it here.
Regardless of the feud between Michael Jackson and Prince, the two were undeniably two of the best musicians of our time.