Fans angry at Forbes for crowning Bad Bunny “EL Rey Del Pop”

29 years old Puerto Rican urban music sensation Benito Martinez Ocasio, known as Bad Bunny, is making waves in the music scene by getting to Forbes’ famed “30 Under 30” list.

Forbes has lauded Bad Bunny for his unparalleled global success, noting that in the past three years, he has emerged as the most streamed artist on Spotify with a staggering 35.9 billion streams. His YouTube channel has amassed over 32 billion views, outshining global music stars like Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, and Taylor Swift. His musical prowess has earned him three Grammy Awards and 11 Latin Grammy Awards.

Forbes crowning him as the “King of Pop” (El Rey Del Pop) on the cover of its magazine has infuriated Michael Jackson Fans.

To be clear, in his interview with Forbes (available here), Bad Bunny has not said he is the new King of Pop but the magazine has taken on themselves to crown him.

Check out the full interview on YouTube:

This is not the first time that media have used “King of Pop” to promote an artist or an article. We saw this with Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Harry Styles, and many more.

And fans, once more, have taken to social media to remind Forbes that the title belongs to Michael Jackson and Michael Jackson only. Some fans even pulled out the “King of Pop” trademark owned by Michael Jackson’s Estate to tell Forbes that they can’t just use the title.

Every so often, media will crown a new King of Pop. It is part of comparing current and trending artists to the best musician ever walked this earth. Yes, it is annoying but it is also a sort of compliment and confirms that Michael Jackson is still influencing today’s artists. Not to mention, this was also happening during Michael’s life time and might explained why Michael trademarked the title “King of Pop”.

There is a simple test you can do to reassure the status of Michael Jackson, ask a random person in the street, no matter which country you are in, the question “who is the King of Pop?” and doubt you will get Bad Bunny for an answer.