Timbaland... this isn't an accurate comparison, sure at times it sounds like thriller, because The Weeknd is recycling MJ melodies and harmonies from that era. You can't make the Thriller compassion without acknowledging the cultural impact Thriller made and the barriers MJ broke for black singers in the 80's, Whitney Houston and Prince would have had a much harder time breaking into MTV. Thriller is the ultimate R&B to Pop crossover album and he simultaneously revolutionized the music video format, MVs look the way they do now because of MJ and his genius as a visionary and performer. The Weeknd has nothing to innovate because it's already been done.