Michael Jackon’s Nephew, Taj, Said Harry Styles Is Not The “New King Of Pop”

Rolling Stone UK declared Harry Styles the new King of Pop — but not if Michael Jackson’s family has anything to say about it.

The British singer graced the magazine’s UK October / November cover, wearing a large white fur coat and holding a pink birthday cake with candles. Underneath reads a caption: “How the new King of Pop set the music world aflame.”

In a quote tweet response, Jackson’s nephew Taj Jackson responded to the apparent passing of his uncle’s crown. “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,” his tweet began before clarifying that he didn’t mean any shade towards Styles. “No disrespect to @Harry_Styles, he’s mega talented. Give him his own unique title.”

Jackson was one of the most successful recording artists of his time, beginning his career in a popular group The Jackson Five with his brothers. His album Thriller and the subsequent titular single skyrocketed him into worldwide stardom, and his signature dance move “the moonwalk” is still legendary. By 1984, Jackson was renowned as the King of Pop — a moniker he later adopted when releasing a compilation album for his 50th birthday in 2008.

Jackson fans have been vocalizing their support of Taj’s proclamation with some saying “there will only ever be one King of Pop,” and others agreeing “the title is retired indeed!” Some conceded that Styles has “some pretty dope songs” but agreed that “he didn’t shake the world like Michael did.” The consensus on Twitter seemed to be that Styles is too young (and hasn’t released enough records) to unseat Jackson’s superstar legacy — though Jackson has been considered a controversial figure, stemming from sexual assault allegations that have persisted even after his passing in 2009.

Styles himself hasn’t commented on the online backlash — and it’s unlikely that he will, given his vocal attempts to stay clear of social media. Ironically enough in his Rolling Stone cover story, he described Twitter as “a sh*tstorm of people trying to be awful to people” and noted that he uses other platforms extremely sparingly because the commentary about his personal life — especially his relationship with Olivia Wilde — “doesn’t make me feel good.”