The Weeknd is on Michael Jackson’s level, according to Timbaland.
On Friday, the Canadian superstar dropped his fifth studio album Dawn FM and Timbaland is singing its praises. Taking to his Instagram Story, the super-producer compared the 16-track album to the King of Pop’s iconic Thriller album.
“This album different, yo. This shit right here, this on some Thriller shit,” said Timbaland while listening to The Weeknd’s song “Sacrifice.”
He continued to express his love for the XO crooner’s latest work. “Trust me when I tell you. And the way he dropped this shit… Yo, congrats. This shit is amazing!”
In his caption, he added, “This album is beyond great. We need a vinyl to this.”
The MJ comparisons weren’t lost on fans and critics alike. “Abel Tesfaye continues to build his case as the MJ of his generation,” the New York Post wrote in its review.
Dawn FM even features an appearance from Thriller producer Quincy Jones on the spoken interlude “A Tale By Quincy,” along with Tyler, the Creator, Lil Wayne, Oneohtrix Point Never, and Jim Carrey.
Timbaland is not the only one who celebrated The Weeknd’s greatness. Rolling Stone awarded the album four out of five stars, while Variety called it “possibly The Weeknd’s best and most fully realized album to date.”