I feel that Prince really was more of an artist than MJ, if that's your thing. From all accounts he was meticulous and totally devoted to his art. I see MJ as more of a performer and Prince as an across the board performance artist/composer. There is something much less (and really no pun intended here) plastic/commercial about Prince. Also, whatever Prince was on didn't destroy his creativity and turn him into a reclusive bed-wetting pariah who preferred the company of chimps and children to normal adults. Prince went out of his way to be part of an intellectual (though not political dialogue). He sought out the company and opinions of people like Cornel West. He is known to have hosted all kinds of artists and intellectuals at his home. I think he was more cerebral and that came through in the persistent high quality and creativity of his work. At a certain point we all knew MJ had pooped out. Prince's death was a shock because whatever he came out with and whenever we caught glimpses of his performances, he was always still way on top of his game. While MJ was dying in inches (again no pun intended) before our eyes for years, it seems like Prince was always growing and that was reflected in his work until the end.
