Lizzo sent the Twittersphere into a tailspin this past weekend when she unveiled her royal family of pop music.
The “Rumors” singer interrupted our regularly scheduled scrolling to proclaim Usher the undisputed King of R&B. That crowning caused a slight uproar, but it was nothing like what followed when she turned to pop music. According to Lizzo, Michael Jackson is king, Janet Jackson is queen, Justin Bieber is prince, Britney Spears is the princess of pop and Rihanna the pop princess.
Beyonce took the title Queen of Music, and Lizzo handed out queen crowns to several greats in other genres. Interestingly, she decided the rap world was too contentious to wade into. “I have my opinions,” she explained, “but Ima mind my business.”
While no one seemed overly bothered by Lizzo’s King of Pop or princess picks (though some did mention other potential princesses to add to the mix), some took issue with her pick for Prince of Pop, mentioning the likes of Justin Timberlake or Bruno Mars as potential replacements.
However, fans noted that the “Good as Hell” hit-marker overlooked another prominent member of pop royalty when declaring the Queen of Pop: Madonna.
Shortly after her post went up, “Queen of Pop” trended on Twitter. Lizzo raced off to rehearsals as music fans weighed in on who deserved the crown. What followed was a battle between two opposing armies, with both Madonna and Janet Jackson fans hungry for the title.
Madonna’s fans cited the “Music” icon’s record-setting sales numbers and chart success as well as her influence on the genre. Janet Jackson’s fans, meanwhile, referred to her awe-inspiring performances, influence on artists such as Spears and status as the equally talented sister of the King of Pop.
Both fandoms mentioned awards the women have earned and the influence they have had on a new class of pop acts. One impassioned Madonna fan laid out a thread comparing her numbers to Janet’s. Meanwhile, a Janet fan told haters to “argue with the wall.”
We’re personally holding off on wading into the debate. However, one user put it nicely when discussing the impact of both queens: “We all loved both but one had more influence in our lives for obvious reasons,” they wrote. “There can be two queens, y’all.”
In short, can’t we all be friends and honor two of music’s greats? Hopefully, one day. In the meantime, check out some of the impassioned tweets arguing cases for both pop queens, below.