More than 15 years after his death, Michael Jackson is still rewriting the record books.
This week, Jackson became the first artist in Billboard history to debut new entries on the Hot 100 in every decade since the 1970s, thanks to the surprise resurgence of “Chicago,” a deep cut from his posthumous 2014 album Xscape. The track enters the June 6-dated Hot 100 at No. 30, fueled by a wave of streaming activity tied to renewed interest in Jackson's catalog.
What's especially notable is that “Chicago” wasn't one of Jackson's signature hits during its original release. Unlike classics such as “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” or “Thriller,” the song arrived five years after Jackson's death and is only now making its debut on the Hot 100. Now, more than a decade later, it's finding a new audience through streaming platforms and social media, generating 10.7 million U.S. streams during the latest tracking week.
The milestone comes amid the unprecedented commercial success of Michael, the blockbuster biopic directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jaafar Jackson as his uncle.
Since its April release, the film has earned nearly $850 million worldwide and sparked a massive resurgence across Jackson's catalog. In recent weeks, multiple Jackson songs have re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously, including “Billie Jean,” “Human Nature,” “Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough,” and “Dirty Diana.”
Yet “Chicago” stands apart from the rest of that group. The song is not featured in Michael, making its chart breakthrough even more surprising. Produced by Timbaland and JRoc, the track tells the story of a complicated relationship and showcases the darker, more dramatic side of Jackson's later recordings.
The new chart entry gives Jackson his 52nd solo Hot 100 hit and extends a Billboard record that was already unmatched. His decade-by-decade Hot 100 debut streak now stretches from the 1970s through the 2020s. Jackson became the first artist ever to score Hot 100 top 10 hits in six different decades when “Thriller” returned to the top 10 during the Halloween season.
The renewed attention on Jackson's music has coincided with a broader reexamination of his life and legacy. Alongside Michael's success, Netflix released Michael Jackson: The Verdict, a documentary series that revisits the singer's 2005 criminal trial.
