Quadruple platinum singer Khalid tells TMZ ... Aretha Franklin will be remembered as a strong woman who's accomplished so much -- and will forever be known as the "Queen of Soul."
Remember, there was a controversy about Aretha's royal title a while back -- when Beyonce called Tina Turner the "Queen" at the 2008 Grammys.
Aretha -- who's been called the Queen of Soul since the '60s -- was so pissed at the time, she issued a statement saying, "I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyonce. However, I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy."
Well, there's no controversy for Khalid -- saying Aretha clearly deserves the crown.