The beloved big man of The Roots, Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, incited an all-out Twitter riot when he dared to proclaim that Beyoncé is the heir apparent to the musical throne built by Michael Jackson.
The loquacious bandleader and celebrated drummer for the seminal group (whose name is also pronounced “Questlove”) had no clue what he was getting himself into. He needed a bulletproof vest and shield to repel all the verbal darts and nails that were flung at him from every direction. Most music fans who responded considered it high treason, if not downright sacrilegious, to even put Beyoncé in the same vicinity as the immortal King of Pop. In fact, ?uestlove was drenched with such a tidal wave of hate that he had to had to fumble out a hastened response in order to “mop up” and clarify his previous statements.
“No one is EVER disputing MJ being the STANDARD,” Quest pointed out in a series of tweets. “[But Beyoncé] is well on her way at a quicker pace than the unspoken. This is year 10 for her at THIS level. It took MJ 13 years before he became GOD status. If you are to pick the ONE figure in music today that is taking that baton: Usher? Justin? Chris Brown? Sorry. Beyonce appeals to all races. All lifestyle creeds from the kiddest of the kid, to the churchest of the church. Straights, Huxtable men … Housewives and h–s. She can ACTUALLY SING. And dances with the best of them. [She’s] a regular on most fashion mags, sells out stadiums, wins countless Grammies, makes anthems, got bank … is her own industry. (still counts for something right?)”
No, ?uestlove, apparently it counts for very little if you consider fans’ responses to your argument — some of which were very brutal:
* Beyoncé is 80 percent thighs and a–, 20 percent talent.
* [She] jacks other folks’ songs and takes credit.
* She’s never done anything close to touching Off the Wall.
* The J5 Motown audition tape alone runs Yoncé and that horseweave off the Kentucky Derby track.
* I think she needs to take some time off, maybe have a baby or two and come back with a more mature look and sound.
* No one has sold as many records as MJ. Period.
* There can be no heir to MJ’s throne … He made the chair & took it with him when he left.
It doesn’t help ?uestlove’s argument when the King of Pop just got the biggest deal in music history with Sony Music to the tune of $250 million, albeit posthumously. That deal dwarfs the previous record held by, ironically, Bey Bey’s husband, Jay-Z, by over $100 million. We understand where you are going with this, ?uestlove, but the fans have spoken. Loudly.
–terry shropshire
