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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Jamie Roberts

Michael Jackson's nephew hits out at Harry Styles being labelled the new King of Pop

There's only one King of Pop and that's the way it has to stay, according to Michael Jackson's nephew.

The music legend earned the nickname after a sensational career that spanned almost five decades. But in a recent article, Harry Styles has appeared to have been given the title as he fronted the new Rolling Stone magazine - and Taj Jackson isn't willing to accept that.

Taj took to Twitter after reading Rolling Stone label the former One Direction man, 28, the new King of Pop. He fumed: "There is no new King of Pop. You don’t own the title @RollingStone, and you didn’t earn it, my uncle did. Decades of dedication and sacrifice. The title has been retired."

He did praise the Watermelon Sugar singer but refused to allow him to carry the title alongside his uncle. He continued: "No disrespect to @Harry_Styles, he’s mega talented. Give him his own unique title."

Taj Jackson didn't appreciate Harry Styles being labelled the new King of Pop (Getty Images)

Fans were quick to comment on the post and seemed split as to who they sided with. One user said there was room for two kings and wrote: "I mean… let’s use context clues… The NEW king of pop… which means their was/is a FIRST king of pop… which is your uncle . We all know this. Let people also shine, js."

Another agreed, saying: "That's not how kings or monarchs work. MJ may have been the greatest king of all time, he may be the best king ever, but new kings can and will exist after him (even if they do pale in comparison). No new songs in over a decade, no #1 hits in nearly 2, his reign as king is over."

Taj thinks the title should only be used for his uncle (Getty Images)

However, others were adamant the title should solely be used for the Thriller singer. One user said: "There is only one King of Pop and no offence intended to Harry Styles but he’s not in the same league or universe as Michael Jackson. Harry is like every other pop star….. a Michael Jackson wannabe that will NEVER be anywhere near as good or as talented as the REAL King of Pop."

Another added: "Your uncle worked way too hard for this," while a third said: "I’m a huge harry styles fan but no. He is not the new king of pop. There is no new king of pop."

Michael Jackson's career spanned over five decades (AFP/Getty Images)
Harry has a huge fanbase (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

During Harry's interview with the publication, he discussed sexuality and having children. It comes as he plays a man who gets involved with another man while being married to a woman in his latest role for the movie Don't Worry, Darling.

He told the publication: "I think everyone, including myself, has your own journey with figuring out sexuality and getting more comfortable with it."

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