In the history of world music, few collaborations have produced such culturally transformative masterpieces as the duo of Michael Jackson and legendary producer Quincy Jones. They were two halves of a genius: one was the “King of Pop” with extraordinary intuitive performance ability, the other was a producer, conductor and prophet who saw untapped potential, a “vocal device” that could take Michael even further.

The trio of albums Off The Wall , Thriller , and Bad are more than just the best-selling LPs of all time; they are cultural landmarks, indelible markers of the 1980s. But behind the dazzling aura of greatness, the relationship was complex, contradictory, and ultimately tragic, and only Quincy Jones has the courage and the wherewithal to uncover it. He has spoken, revealing the shocking truth about Michael Jackson—a combination of prodigious talent and a soul haunted by greed, cunning, and personal tragedy.

1. The Golden Age: The Relationship Between Teacher and “Rocket”

Quincy Jones first met Michael Jackson when he was just 12 years old, at Sammy Davis Jr.’s house. When Michael was 19, they officially worked together on the movie The Wiz . Quincy, then a music director, witnessed Michael’s incredible intuition—a “very, very special genius” in everything from observation, influence, dancing, to singing. Quincy called Michael “a missile thing” because of his intelligence and ability to grasp everything around him.

Their relationship officially began when Michael asked Quincy to produce his first solo album for Epic Records. Initially, Epic executives were vehemently opposed. They told Michael outright that Quincy was “too jazz-oriented” and not suited to pop music. But Michael, with rare determination, fought back and eventually won their approval. Quincy recalled, “You just have to make me work and underestimate me,” a defiant statement he turned into a historic success.

Quincy Jones saw an “untapped vocal outlet” in Michael. To elicit real emotion, Quincy pushed Michael out of his comfort zone. The climax was the song “She’s Out of My Life” from the album Off The Wall . Quincy originally intended the song for Frank Sinatra, but he gave it to Michael. Michael Jackson sobbed at the end of each take, an emotion so genuine that Quincy decided to leave it in the final recording.

With Thriller , Quincy’s vision knew no bounds. He set a goal of “no boundaries” and turned the production into a race—it took just eight weeks to complete the album. Quincy and his team listened to 800 tracks to find nine perfect ones, then replaced the four weakest tracks with masterpieces like “Human Nature,” “PYT,” and “Beat It.”

The success that followed was illogical. Thriller not only sold 38 million, 45 million, 56 million, or even 110 million copies, but also became the best-selling album in music history. Quincy Jones called the Thriller video “the Citizen Kane of videos,” something that changed the foundation of the music industry. He asserted that Michael and MTV “wrote each other to glory,” breaking the barrier that MTV initially refused to play music by black artists.

2. The Crack and the Fearful Change

Despite their special relationship, which Quincy described as “pure” and filled with “love and respect,” cracks began to appear after the overwhelming success of Thriller . Quincy noticed that Michael began to “get a little bit snapped” after he appeared on the cover of People magazine for three consecutive weeks without giving an interview. The excessive adoration turned Michael into a “strange animal.” Quincy questioned Michael’s mental readiness for fame: “If you don’t have a strong mental foundation… you have to be ready for success.”

More worrying was Michael’s personal instability. Quincy Jones openly admitted that he sensed an underlying tension in Michael. He did not believe that Michael was comfortable in his own skin. Michael Jackson, who always appeared to be a gentle and polite man, was obsessed with changing his appearance. Quincy openly teased Michael about using chemical peels and surgery.

Michael, in denial, would always use illnesses like “blister on my lungs” or some other illness to justify the changes to his face. According to Quincy, this was a form of “denial” on Michael’s part about wanting to look different. The plastic surgery drama that Quincy witnessed painted an image of the King of Pop who was not only at war with the outside world but also with himself, with his obsession with perfection and acceptance.

By 1987’s Bad , the rift was clear. Though the album sold 22 million copies—a number Quincy wasn’t disappointed with—he admitted Michael had lost touch with the market. Quincy invited DMC into the studio, clearly seeing the coming wave of hip-hop. But Michael, with his newfound arrogance, told manager Frank DiLeo that “Quincy was out of control” and “Rap was dead.”

Ironically, just a few years later, Michael had to go to major Rap producers and pay them five times what he paid Quincy Jones to try to catch up with the trend he himself once denied.

3. Death, Love and the $9.4 Million Lawsuit

Quincy Jones learned of Michael Jackson’s death unexpectedly while returning from China. It felt “surrealistic” and an unbearable shock. Despite being 26 years older than Michael, Quincy never imagined his “little brother” would go before him. He asserted that “our souls had to connect” to create the great things they did in the 1980s. He had lost a loved one, a part of his soul.

However, while love is sacred, Quincy Jones is still a man of work and integrity. He does not hesitate to expose Michael Jackson’s other dark sides: greed and cunning.

Quincy Jones caused a stir when he called Michael Jackson a “thief” and “as Machiavellian as they come.” Specifically, he accused Michael of taking inspiration from other artists’ songs, such as “Billie Jean,” which bears a resemblance to Donna Summer’s “State of Independence.” More importantly, Quincy Jones revealed that Michael refused to pay his collaborators 10% of the royalties for “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” an action Quincy said was clear evidence of Michael’s greed.

The dispute culminated in a lengthy legal battle after Michael’s death. Quincy Jones filed a lawsuit against Sony Music and the Michael Jackson Estate, seeking millions of dollars in unpaid royalties. He was eventually awarded $9.4 million — a historic legal victory.

In an official statement following the verdict, Quincy Jones stressed that this lawsuit “was never about Michael. It was about protecting the integrity of the work we all did in the recording studio, and the legacy of what we created.”

This statement encapsulates the essence of their relationship: a deep spiritual connection between a mentor and a brother, coupled with a relentless battle over artistic integrity and money. Quincy Jones shows us Michael Jackson not only as the legendary King of Pop, but also as a complex, conflicted human being, torn between genius and inner darkness, who ultimately paid a high price for his limitless greatness.