Beyond the Bangers: A Gen Z Teen’s Deep Dive Into MJ's Hidden Gems

With the film “Michael” coming out in April 2026, I felt it was a good time to review Michael Jackson’s solo music career. As a teenager born in the late 2000’s, I know of Michael Jackson and his masterpieces that have stood the test of time, but I really don’t know the “gems” that die-hard MJ fans know. I also feel like Michael Jackson really only has three amazing albums, so doing this review will answer that assumption for me. I’ll only be going through true solo albums, as well as only albums he was alive for. That means no “XSCAPE” (2014) or “Michael” (2010). I’ll be ranking the albums on a scale of 1-10 based on production, vocals, skipability (songs that I skip), and number of bangers in the album; I’ll give my top ten songs as well.