Our friend Logan dropped by and showed me this. Apparently Michael Jackson was a ghost writer for some of Sonic 3’s soundtrack.
And while I’m not fully convinced, his appearance in other Sega titles like Moonwalker and Space Channel 5 do indicate some kind of relationship. Jackson’s admission to penning “The Bartman” for the Simpsons album a decade after release also tells us he’s no stranger to odd score deals.

For more Jacko fun, check out Michael Quest, Michael Fantasy, and Michael Forever.