Michael Jackson vs R. Kelly: Why Jackson's Legacy Endures

On Chris Rock's Netflix special Selective Outrage, he compared the crimes of Michael Jackson with those of R. Kelly saying "Same crime—one of them just got better songs!”. However, comparing the crimes, cases and musical contributions made by both men show major distinctions:

Number of Cases: Jackson - Michael Jackson faced sexual abuse charges twice - once in 1993 for crimes against a 13-year-old and once in 2005 for crimes against another 13-year-old. Jackson was acquitted of both cases. His estate was sued in 2013, but the case was dismissed.

Number of Cases: Kelly - Kelly was accused of distributing child pornography in 2008, forging documents to marry underage Aaliyah, sexually abusing 2 women in 2002, sexually abusing four women in 2019 and multiple charges of prostitution and pornography.

Convictions: Jackson - Jackson was acquitted of both cases due to lack of evidence. Despite testimony from his staff and his own interviews, the FBI were never able to find sufficient physical evidence to prove the claims, so Jackson was never prosecuted.

Convictions: Kelly - R. Kelly was found guilty of 12 sexual abuse charges, in addition to numerous other charges including battery, disorderly conduct, and failure to pay child support. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Musical Contributions: Jackson - Michael Jackson sold over 278 million albums worldwide over the duration of his career. He has the all-time record for most number 1 Billboard hits with 13 songs reaching that status over his career. He performed music for over 30 years.

Musical Contributions: Kelly - R. Kelly sold 75 million albums worldwide throughout his career and had 11 songs reach number 1 on the Billboard chart. Kelly performed for around 20 years.

Technology: In the 1990's and early 2000's when Jackson was accused, video recordings were uncommon so no video evidence was ever brought against him. Whereas Kelly's crimes taking place later meant video evidence was easier to get. Plus the #MuteRKelly  campaign spread like wildfire.

Artist Support: Jackson's death in 2009 means the singer himself can no longer profit from his music. Whereas, despite being in prison, Kelly can still continue receiving and accruing residual income from his music which he can access upon release.

There is much division on whether personal and professional legacies should intertwine or not, but despite Chris Rock's controversial statement, besides "better music" there are many more objective reasons why Jackson's legacy is far more intact than R. Kelly's.