"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson recorded for his sixth studio album Thriller (1982).

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" evokes the disco sound of Jackson's previous studio album, Off the Wall, released in 1979.

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" became Jackson's fourth consecutive top 10 single from Thriller on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number five.

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" has been covered and sampled by multiple recording artists since its release, notably by Rihanna in her 2007 song "Don't Stop the Music", who was sued as a result.

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was written, composed and co-produced by Michael Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones.

[4] "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was one of the four songs that Jackson received writing credits on for his sixth studio album Thriller in 1982.

Unlike Thriller's previous singles, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" did not have a film or a music video released to promote it.

Aside from Thriller, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" has appeared on multiple compilation and greatest hits albums by Jackson since the song's release.

A post-disco and funk song,[6][7] "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was viewed as a nod to the disco sound of Jackson's material on his previous studio album, Off the Wall, released in 1979.

[11][12][13] Christopher Connelly, a writer for Rolling Stone, described "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" as being Thriller's "most combative track".

[9] Remarking that while the song's lyrics "won't keep Elvis Costello awake nights", they "do show that Jackson has progressed past the hey-let's-hustle sentiments that dominated Off the Wall".

[9] He added that Jackson's "raw ability and conviction make material like 'Baby Be Mine' and 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'' into first-class cuts".

[9] Cash Box called the song a "smash," specifically praising the "danceable groove...superb arrangement and strange but ultimately uplifting lyrics.

"[14] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, a writer for AllMusic, listed "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", along with "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Human Nature", as being the best songs from Thriller.

[7] Eric Herderson, a writer for Slant Magazine, commented that with "three quick rimshots", he felt that "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was like a "court fanfare".

[5] It was more commercially successful than Thriller's follow-up single "Human Nature" on the Billboard Hot 100, with the song peaking on the chart at number seven.

It nonetheless has attained a popularity rivaling its sister compositions on the album, and became Jackson's song of choice for opening live concerts, although not being as strictly associated with a specific dance routine as those others has arguably allowed for more flexibility in performances and staging.

[32] After Barbadian pop singer Rihanna sampled the song in her 2007 hit single "Don't Stop the Music",[33][34] she and Jackson were both sued in February 2009 (four months before Jackson's death) by Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango, who claimed that both songs used the "mama-say mama-sa mama-coo-sa" hook from his 1972 single "Soul Makossa" without permission.

According to Agence France-Presse, Jackson admitted earlier that he had borrowed the line for "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and had eventually settled financially with Dibango.

Dibango's attorneys brought the case before a court in Paris, demanding €500,000 in damages and for Sony BMG, EMI and Warner Music to be "barred from receiving 'mama-say mama-sa'-related income until the matter is resolved".

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic commented that "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was turned into a "moody piano murk".

[58] He further commented that while the song is not great, "it is better than Fergie parroting the lyrics of 'Beat It' back to a recorded Jackson, and it's better than will.i.am turning 'The Girl Is Mine' into a hapless dance number".

[58] Rob Sheffield, a writer for Rolling Stone, commented that "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is "actually kind of great" and praised the song's composition.

[65] In the US, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" peaked at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the song its lowest charting position.