Taj Jackson Gets Brutally Honest About Why Michael Jackson Outshined the Entire Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 was a well-oiled machine from Gary, Indiana, taking the music world by storm. But by the mid-1970s, the gears were grinding against Michael Jackson’s inevitable gravity. While his brothers stood as a unified front under the Motown banner, Michael’s transition from child prodigy to the “King of Pop” was a sight to see.
Michael, the eighth child of the Jackson family, made his public debut at age six as the lead singer of the Jackson 5. Michael rose to superstar status with his 1979 “Off the Wall” album, and hit unprecedented global success three years later with “Thriller”— the best-selling album in history.
After his biopic “Michael” shattered the record for the largest opening weekend for a music biopic, raking in $217 million globally in its first three days according to Variety, one user on Twitter couldn’t help but wonder: “What was the reason why the other members of “The Jackson 5” not successful as Michael Jackson after he went Solo?”
Many replied with conclusions of their own, including one X user who noted how Michael’s “vocal range, dance ability, stage presence, and musical instinct was simply at a different level.”
Another commented, in part: “Michael had a combination of things nobody else in the family possessed at the same level, the voice the dancing the songwriting instinct the stage presence and the obsessive perfectionism.”
A third X user wrote how the other Jackson 5 members, which originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon, “just weren’t Michael plain and simple. He just had the it factor. Most of the Jackson children did have good music careers after the five broke up but they just couldn’t match his talent.”
However, while the internet debated whether the Jackson 5 were held back by their brother’s shadow, Michael’s nephew and Tito’s son, Taj Jackson, entered the chat to set the record straight.
“I’ll answer since this is a very sensitive subject to me,” Taj began. “Imagine since you were a teenager being told by everyone that you are worthless without your younger brother and you should thank him for everything you have. That’s exactly what my dad had to deal with his whole life. He told me that personally on multiple occasions. What do you think that does to your self esteem and life?” Ouch.
Folks in the comments were torn by Taj’s vulnerable reply. “Granted, folks are free to love and enjoy Michael, but the way the rest of the brothers are always looked like as leftovers always bothered me,” one X user said.
Another X user name dropped Janet Jackson, who became “very successful as a solo artist, and she wasn’t even part of their group. And if anything, as a woman in that family and in the industry she probably had it worse.”
While Janet’s brothers were touring as a unit, she was carving out an individual identity on classic sitcoms like “Good Times,” “Diff’rent Strokes” and “Fame.” Not long after, she released her iconic album, “Rhythm Nation 1814” in 1989. It remains the only album in history to produce seven top-five singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
By the time she signed her record-breaking multimillion-dollar deal with Virgin Records in the 1990s, she had become the highest-paid recording artist in the world.
Another X user wrote how they will push back on any Jackson 5 slander, because everyone in the group “mattered and still do. There would be not Michael Jackson without his brothers. They are his foundation.”
The Jackson’s attended the premiere of Michael’s wildly popular biopic “Michael,” on April 20 in Los Angeles, which is set for a sequel, we previously told you.
Following the passing of Tito Jackson in late 2024, Jackie and Marlon have continued to carry the torch, touring and teasing new music—their first since 1989. While Jermaine has largely stepped back from the spotlight in recent years, Randy Jackson has transitioned into a powerful behind-the-scenes role, co-managing his sister Janet’s global empire and overseeing her tours.
