(ThyBlackMan.com) So today a friend of mine tagged me on Facebook and asked me did I think Beyoncé has surpassed Michael Jackson during his peak era of 1982 to maybe shortly after 1992. In my opinion, I believe it depends on how much you like Beyonce or appreciate her as an entertainer. To be completely honest, I’m not a Beyonce fan to say the least. To be even more honest, I don’t think I ever will.
But that’s beside the point; because If you do the math, Beyoncé has sold millions of albums, is a showstopper as a singer on tour, and has a dedicated fan base in which they will go to war for their Queen Bey. Does it sound similar to Jackson yet? Maybe, because in some ways, they are identical strictly off of how their fans view them. 
Since Jackson is dead, has Beyonce officially surpassed Michael Jackson in popularity when you compare peaks? Depends on how you view them.
When my friend asked me that question, I swiftly replied no. Why? Because even though Beyoncé has the credentials similar to Jackson, it’s hard to do a true compare and contrast because the two artists reigned are in two different eras. Michael Jackson never had the true benefit of music being available online for purchase or streaming. Beyoncé has those two options at her fingertips, so access to music in Beyonce’s case is a tad bit quicker than anything Jackson experienced.
But, Beyoncé has one thing working for her if this was a true comparison; Bey never had any controversy or controversy that was self-inflicted, that we know of. Michael Jackson and his camp put out a lot of stories, fictitious and true to keep his name in the press. But as the 80’s came to a close, he became known more for being a caricature than his music which caused him to be just as infamous as he was famous. Business decisions gone wrong, sadly, in which possibly, Beyonce on her rise to stardom studied Jackson and learned from his mistakes.
But Beyonce not being bigger than Jackson is strictly my opinion. She hasn’t had an album that took the world over the way Thriller did. Is Beyoncé More popular? Not sure. But is she perhaps the wiser business person? Absolutely, especially if it’s put that way. In order to really know the truth about this whole matter, it may be wise to ask an unbiased music fan who doesn’t have any allegiance toward neither artist. If not, you may get a solid opinion or extremely irrational one.
Music Editor; Brad Washington