Akon shares his thoughts on Michael Jackson.
Chris Brown, in Akon's opinion, could have been this generation's Michael Jackson but for his suspected gang affiliations.
The singer of "Soul Survivor" spoke about Michael Jackson on Monday's episode of Shannon Sharpe's Club Shay Shay podcast.
If not for the individuals he surrounded himself with, Breezy would have been the only entertainer even remotely capable of matching his legacy, according to Akon.
“In this day and age, the only person, in my opinion, that could’ve achieved just as great of a legacy as [Michael Jackson], to me, would’ve been Chris Brown,” said Akon.
“I just believe that Chris Brown wasn’t surrounded by the circle of creative people that Mike was surrounded by. Because Chris got the talent, he just needed the direction.”
He continued, saying that the "gangbangers" around Brown weren't able to utilize his talent the way Mike's group was able to.
“Imagine if Chris had Mike’s team? Just imagine that,” he continued.
“It would be something different. But Chris, he got Bloods around him, he got little gangbangers around him. He don’t have the guidance. He’s smart, but he’s smart according to what this generation’s ‘smart’ attracts.”
Chris Brown has long been compared to Michael Jackson and has consistently listed the legendary performer as one of his main influences.