Michael Jackson may be the king of pop, but Kanye West is gunning for the throne, as he recently scored his fortieth Top 40 hit, usurping Jackson's spot on the list of the top 10 male artists with the most hits.
Chi-town's Finest surpassed Michael Jackson's record when Schoolboy Q's latest single, The Part, which West is featured on, made it to Billboard's Top 40. The Part is the fortieth Top 40 single that Kanye has appeared on. His debut solo single, Through The Wire, which West recorded while his mouth was wired shut following a car accident, peaked at number 15 on Billboard's Top 100. Since then, the Chicago rapper/producer has become a multi-platinum artist, and despite being involved in frequent scandals, controversies, and feuds with other celebrities, West's mainstream popularity shows no signs of waning.
Kanye himself says he's a huge fan of Michael Jackson and considers the King of Pop to be a key influence on his own music. "I would not be Kanye West if it weren't for Michael Jackson," he admitted on BBC radio back in 2013.
West still has a long way to go before he's the #1 male artist with the most hit singles though: that title is still held by Elvis Presley, who still has an astounding 80 top 40 singles -- double of what Kanye has. Still, considering the rate at which Kanye has been scoring hits since 2003, there's a good chance he'll be able to surpass The King's record within his lifetime... assuming Taylor Swift doesn't order a hit on him first.
By Kenneth Noisewater for hotworldpower.com
