“I love her to death and can appreciate her talent,” she says of Bey the new issue of Essence magazine. “But that iconic status? It’s a long road.”
Warwick’s words offer a clue as to where she might stand on a debate recently waged on the Joe Budden Podcast: Has Beyoncé surpassed Michael Jackson to become the most important black artist of our time?
Queen Bey certainly would qualify as a legitimate successor to the King of Pop. Like Jackson, she’s sold millions of records, racked up an impressive string of hits, and amassed a sizable fan base and fortune. Jackson’s 2009 death left a hole in the hall of hallowed black music stars that Beyoncé was primed to fill.
