Let's end the confusion about MJ's unreleased tracks here

Mister_Jay_Tee

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What was the process of giving a chorus of a song to an artist? Specifically, Don't Matter to Me. They gave that chorus to Drake, or the whole song? It was Paul Anka actually. I just remembered. Drake constructed a song around it though? So that's the formula, give an artist a demo and let them have at it?
 

Mister_Jay_Tee

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I only want to hear another artist sing the song as long as we have the original version in hand. If it's like in Don't Matter To Me and we only have the remix with autotuned vocals then they can fuck off with that lol.
Idk, cause we don't have the original 'To Satisfy You', or Somebody's Watching Me, or 'We Be Ballin' even. There's plenty of classic MJ hooks with not much else but they're still worth the listen.

I think the bigger problem is Drake is an obnoxious hack and ruined the song. His only value was the optics on MJ, and on his album. Something mutually beneficial.
 

ChanceToDance

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Idk, cause we don't have the original 'To Satisfy You', or Somebody's Watching Me, or 'We Be Ballin' even. There's plenty of classic MJ hooks with not much else but they're still worth the listen.
There's no such thing as an MJ solo demo of those songs though. MJ only recorded the parts of the songs and there's the end of that.
 

SmoothGangsta

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Idk, cause we don't have the original 'To Satisfy You', or Somebody's Watching Me, or 'We Be Ballin' even. There's plenty of classic MJ hooks with not much else but they're still worth the listen.

I think the bigger problem is Drake is an obnoxious hack and ruined the song. His only value was the optics on MJ, and on his album. Something mutually beneficial.
Mj is dead. The things you're describing were things he did on his own and were intended to be presented that way. Isn't the same thing at all imo. If they're gonna release unfinished music it should be released as is with an accurate description of the track's history or not at all (imo)

I of course want to hear Mj's unfinished music, but let's not pretend like throwing his vocals on someone else's totally unrelated song is the same thing.
 
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Mister_Jay_Tee

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Mj is dead. The things you're describing were things he did on his own and were intended to be presented that way. Isn't the same thing at all imo. If they're gonna release unfinished music it should be released as is with an accurate description of the track's history or not at all (imo)
I didn't say don't release the originals. I just said it wouldn't be the first time we haven't gotten to hear it all. And even then, ā€ŠMichael didn't have the originals either. Not in every case, now we do though. I personally think MJ himself would've never wanted just demoes being put out, not at certain times that is, but that is another story, and a subjective opinion.
 

AlwaysThere

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Put the demos out as is, we’re dishonoring MJ by allowing the public to hear his unfinished work, but it’s also the most authentic way to go about it.

Adding other vocalists or producers into the mix, we’re disrespecting MJ by robbing him of the ability to finalize the song, but we’re also following his process and delivering something properly.

Every release strategy has ups and downs.
 

SmoothGangsta

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Put the demos out as is, we’re dishonoring MJ by allowing the public to hear his unfinished work, but it’s also the most authentic way to go about it.

I think from this the answer is obvious. MJ would not like some random guy changing his music. The most authentic and respectful option is obvious.
 

AlwaysThere

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I think from this the answer is obvious. MJ would not like some random guy changing his music. The most authentic and respectful option is obvious.
But is it some random guy if we choose, say, Rodney or John or Neff-U to do the job? On top of that, it begs the question of why MJ never stated what he wanted done with his music in his will; he was alive for the 2pac and Biggie and Hendrix posthumous releases so I’m sure he’s familiar with how the train runs. On top of THAT, some people who knew him personally argue that the songs need to be finished or not come out at all.

I think it’s just a difficult line to walk.
 

Clay7

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What was the process of giving a chorus of a song to an artist? Specifically, Don't Matter to Me. They gave that chorus to Drake, or the whole song? It was Paul Anka actually. I just remembered. Drake constructed a song around it though? So that's the formula, give an artist a demo and let them have at it?
No, Drake's stuff was already an entire song before mj was even added. His solo version is actually better than the mj sample one lol.
 

Prince Of Pop

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Just listened to Drake's Don't Matter To Me and honestly I'm not impressed...and forgive me but exactly where does Michael show up? If they autotuned him, then shame on them for doing so because to me this does not feel like a MJ track, nor do I hear him in it.
 

Clay7

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Just listened to Drake's Don't Matter To Me and honestly I'm not impressed...and forgive me but exactly where does Michael show up? If they autotuned him, then shame on them for doing so because to me this does not feel like a MJ track, nor do I hear him in it.
Vocal Manipulation is not a bad thing AT ALL lol. He shows up at about 0:56. It sounds bad because they filtered the vocals from the original version which was a really bad move especially in 2018 when the tech wasn't that great.
 

ChanceToDance

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So when Xscape came out Damien Shields said that the 2014 remix of DYKWYCA is similar to a song that MJ worked on in his final years, would anyone be so kind to ask him on Twitter about more of that song? Like the title, lyrics or anything of that kind. I'd appreciate it very much.
 

Clay7

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So when Xscape came out Damien Shields said that the 2014 remix of DYKWYCA is similar to a song that MJ worked on in his final years, would anyone be so kind to ask him on Twitter about more of that song? Like the title, lyrics or anything of that kind. I'd appreciate it very much.
I'm not sure what he was referring to but I doubt this was intentional
 

ChanceToDance

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I'm not sure what he was referring to but I doubt this was intentional

Do You Know Where Your Children Are: During the 1980s Jackson became inspired by those classic late-night television commercials that implored parents to ask themselves the question (that became the song’s title): ā€œDo You Know Where Your Children Are?ā€ The original version of this track is simply magnificent and instantly reminds me of ā€œAbortion Papersā€ from Bad 25. While there is nothing groundbreaking about the sounds Jackson used to create the demo, there is everything groundbreaking about the message. A chilling tale of a 12-year-old girl who falls victim to sexual abuse at the hands of her step-father before running away from home to escape said horror. The girl ultimately finds herself involved in child prostitution on the streets of Hollywood before being arrested by police. The King of Pop truly was the voice for the voiceless, finding a way to articulate this delicate story with both sensitivity and power, while delivering the track as an incredibly catchy pop song. Timbaland delivers his fourth offering from Xscape with a remix of this track that I actually really love. The new production is somewhat ā€œvideo game-ish,ā€ but in my opinion it works. Packed with pauses, breakdowns and muddy guitar solos, this remix is perhaps the most unique on the album. Most Jackson purists will be outraged that I like this version, but I can’t help it. Rodney Jerkins, who worked with Jackson from 1999 to 2003, believes Jackson would have loved the production so much that he’d have climbed atop the studio equipment and danced in celebration. While I don’t claim to know what Jackson would or would not have done or liked, I can tell you that this remix is coincidentally reminiscent of an unreleased track Jackson was working on in the final years of his life.
 

Clay7

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Do You Know Where Your Children Are: During the 1980s Jackson became inspired by those classic late-night television commercials that implored parents to ask themselves the question (that became the song’s title): ā€œDo You Know Where Your Children Are?ā€ The original version of this track is simply magnificent and instantly reminds me of ā€œAbortion Papersā€ from Bad 25. While there is nothing groundbreaking about the sounds Jackson used to create the demo, there is everything groundbreaking about the message. A chilling tale of a 12-year-old girl who falls victim to sexual abuse at the hands of her step-father before running away from home to escape said horror. The girl ultimately finds herself involved in child prostitution on the streets of Hollywood before being arrested by police. The King of Pop truly was the voice for the voiceless, finding a way to articulate this delicate story with both sensitivity and power, while delivering the track as an incredibly catchy pop song. Timbaland delivers his fourth offering from Xscape with a remix of this track that I actually really love. The new production is somewhat ā€œvideo game-ish,ā€ but in my opinion it works. Packed with pauses, breakdowns and muddy guitar solos, this remix is perhaps the most unique on the album. Most Jackson purists will be outraged that I like this version, but I can’t help it. Rodney Jerkins, who worked with Jackson from 1999 to 2003, believes Jackson would have loved the production so much that he’d have climbed atop the studio equipment and danced in celebration. While I don’t claim to know what Jackson would or would not have done or liked, I can tell you that this remix is coincidentally reminiscent of an unreleased track Jackson was working on in the final years of his life.
yeah "coincidentally". Makes sense
 

Mister_Jay_Tee

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No, Drake's stuff was already an entire song before mj was even added. His solo version is actually better than the mj sample one lol.
I'd actually like that to hear that version then. I'll search for it.
 
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