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"Pro Xscape"?

WhoIsIt89

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Okay, so...I noticed during the whole "Hologram" debate thing, that many people felt a problem with the terms "Hardcore" & "Casual" being used when referencing those who liked the hologram and those who weren't very fond of it. Mind you, those two terms were inaccurate when discussing this forum of people.

Now I'm seeing people being termed as "Pro Xscape", what is "Pro Xscape"? Now granted from day one, I voiced surprise over the statements like "I don't like the hologram, so I won't support the album.", which I don't agree with as I don't see how a person would not support Michael over whatever happened at BBMA's. It's okay to not support "VMJ" ("Virtual Valentino" to a lot of us). But I don't see how that should have any impact over ones decision to support Michael's children. So now that that's out of the way, I ask again, what's "Pro Xscape"?

Now, for those of you who feel they're the most ultimate pro's of "Pro Xscape", please explain to me why every opinion you may not agree with is coined "Negative"? Can anyone tell me what exactly is "negative" about saying you're disappointed with the LNFSG remix being chosen as the bonus track over another song, like Hot Fun In The Summertime? What's negative about a person simply saying "I don't like that song" in reference to a song on the album, despite them contributing to the sales of the album and it's success? What is negative about any of this? Why can't a person not like an Estate made decision, or simply a song on this latest album and be a "Pro Xscape" fan at the same time? Why must those who question a criticize an Estate made decision be labeled an "Estate hater", despite defending the Estate on numerous situations in the past? A person says simply, "I don't think too fondly of the song, I wish they would've selected something else", why must someone then respond to them with "I'm tired of all your negativity in these threads"? What exactly is negative about simply not liking a select song, and wishing something else was chosen in it's place?


None of this happened with the "Michael" album, with the disgrace that was. Now we actually have a successful album on our hands, and it seems like not many of us are able to handle it. It seems like some people feel that even with this successful album, that if a person doesn't like a specific song off it, they're being negative and are a less of a fan...Like, what? Where on Earth did this thought process come from?


I'm just curious, and decided to make an attempt at finding these things out without derailing any other threads. Mods, if you feel like this thread will cause problems, feel free to close it.
 
This is an old thread but I'm curious as well. I know with any posthumous album, there's gonna be a split in the fan base mostly because no one really knows who's really pulling the strings, and if we support the album - are we really supporting MJ's family? Plus with the whole 'Michael' controversy with the 3 songs, Idk. I think its each to his or her own on that one.

But me personally? I think Xscape and everything that came with it is legit. I think so because when I listened to the album all the way through I really felt authenticity and care. Like the producers didn't just throw something out there, but they really thought about what MJ would have done and would have wanted, and the product sounds like something MJ might have come out with or at least somewhat close. And if someone put that amount of work and care into an album, then that means they have MJ's legacy at heart and I can support that. Same with the hologram - sure, it wasn't perfect - but I thought i was a great publicity ploy for the album and if MJ were somewhere up in the heavens pulling the strings for his posthumous efforts (through, Idk, haunting the producers until they get it right lol) - I think MJ would have liked the hologram to. The theatrics, shock and controversy and the cutting edge technology - heck, sounds like something MJ would like lol

Sorry, rambling lol. ANYWAY - what you're saying is not a new concept though. I remember during Invincible, if people didn't particularly like something about it, you were a 'bad fan' or whatever. Or if you DID like Invincible, over an older album especially, you weren't a REAL fan. lol So I think it comes with the territory and I also think its ridiculous. I HATE HATE HATE "Blue Gangsta"s contemporary version on the album and I will shout it to the rooftops that it was horrible to me, and if MJ heard it in spirit he'd probably like 'wtf was that?' ....lol but I am the most PRO XSCAPE fan you can ever be lol I love it and I will support anything quality that brings MJ to a new generation of fans. I think that album is quality despite my grievances over some tracks.
 
I just briefly checked the Xscape 2.0 documentary on youtube, and went through the comments. I can see people are very split, like most of the comments say they aint buying the album because the money is going to the producers pockets and I dont know what. I seriously dont understand that, us fans have the chance to keep Michaels music alive, Xscape generated brilliant publicity without which i wouldnt just buy 5 of MJ albums.
The album is brilliantly produced, Im not gonna hate on any song cos i like them all. of course Im respecting other peoples opinions too, but my usual experience is that the negative comments will only produce more negative comments. Its sad to see the fans fight over irrelevant stuff when they forget the most important thing - to enjoy the music :)
 
iam pro xscape. i enjoy the tracks, the new and original ones the same way.
and i dont see a reason to hate that project.

its quite embarrassing how people trash the "new" versions on the MaxJax forum and want the album consist of only the original tracks. its ok that some new productions arent everyones taste, but why on earth would you boycott a whole album of MJ? we've gotten an album with all the demos - what we asked for years ago. its one of the last opportunities to make him popular in this generation, but people go like "mj didnt want that, that must be sh*t". those were the same guys who hated invincible back in the day. and who knows, what mj would have done? nobody knows which direction he would have went.

theres nothing comparable to xscape in this time, for me it doesnt sound like the current stuff in the charts. so its unique for me, just like michael was. that counts for me.
 
@ Speeddemon - I agree. If Xscape never happened, I don't think I would have made it back to being in full out MJmania-mode again after his death, and I'm a fan from the 90s. Xscape succeeded in making me feel better about his passing, because it represented MJ in a new way for this generation. People don't get that if a new person is introduced to MJ through Xscape, then naturally they will begin to appreciate his older (and more authentic because he worked on them) tracks. And I honestly hope there are other albums coming - maybe after another 5 years or so.

@DanGerouS - I agree as well! Even Mj's unfinished stuff is 10x better than anything out there now. And IMHO (unlike the 'Michael' album) it is not over produced, it allowed MJ's artistry to shine in BOTH ways - both in a contemporary aspect that is accessible today, and in a tried-and-true way by including the original demos.

Honestly the most important thing to me right now is that his legacy lives on. ANYTHING that helps that I will support. No, MJ wasn't directly involved in this, but it opens the door to attract new fans. That is the bottom line. For instance, I may not like the new version of Blue Gangsta but if someone is like "DAMN that's hot!" and starts to dig MJ because of that song, why would I complain? LOL That's a new MJ fan right there! Who cares if I don't like it or not? I like Michael Jackson so when other people do to - its a win/win situation.

I also think people need to get it out of their heads that contemporary=bad. If MJ were alive, guess what? He'd be trying more contemporary sounds. He was on top of music trends - thats how he got AHEAD of the trends. But he never let go of his own creativity when he tackled those trends.

AND - I think that producers don't do themselves any favors when they speak down on the originals. All that does is split the fan base even more.

So a lot of things are contributing to all of this.
 
I have heard the remixes and aside from one or two of them, they are absolutely terrible to me (And I love remixes!) but the reason I'm "pro" Xscape is because when I first saw the tracklisting before the album was released, I was so excited that the Estate listened to us - all these amazing songs that leaked years ago that really deserved to be mastered and released professionally. I'm kind of disappointed that the leaked version of DYKWYCA didn't make it but I love the demo!
 
I felt that there was some negativity prior to the release that i didn't understand. Some people were unhappy LNFSG was the first single without having heard it (I know that this was partly because some fans have an issue of Anka) and the same with then tracklist. However once people had heard the songs then it at least their criticism had more weight. As for me I am split by Xscape. After I read Remember The Time I got very precious about the new versions and how they were tampering with Michaels vision but a couple of days ago I heard Loving You coming out of my daughters room and it sounded great. And she loves the Xscape album and the JT remix and as at 14 I guess she's the target audience. And I've just realised when I was her age Michael released Off The Wall (where does the time go). As i bought a couple of copies of the album for myself and a couple for friends who liked Michael but hadn't bought any of the posthumous releases I am Pro Xscape but please don't get me started on how the producers disrespect Michaels music in the video on the deluxe edition.
 
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Over the years, I’ve developed the stance that XSCAPE is conceptually one of the better ways to structure a posthumous album, especially for an artist as complex and concise as MJ, but the execution itself left a lot to be desired.

The “best of both worlds” approach seems like the easiest way to appease every branch of the fandom. It’s fascinating listening to the demos of “Do You Know Where Your Children Are” and “Slave to the Rhythm” after being introduced to them via leaked remixes; the internal discussion provided a lot of interesting angles. Meanwhile, the remixes bestowed MJ with new chart records, which I’m sure we can all agree are accomplishments he’d be thrilled with. Plus, almost ten years later, the “Chicago” remix blew up in popularity thanks to TikTok, which is a wonderful opportunity for the next generation to be shepherded towards MJ’s catalog.

But once you move past what’s on the paper and actually buy the album, the issues come to light. There’s the moral quandary of releasing remixes as the “definitive” versions of these eight songs, particularly when they were created on the basis of completely throwing away all of MJ’s musical contributions and creating something entirely unique and distinct. There’s the shameful sound quality in which the original demos were presented. There’s the fact that six of the eight songs had been publicly available for years. And, on a more subjective note, there’s the actual song selection, which I feel is somewhat poor. (Half of the songs are saved by their remixes, in my honest opinion; the demos aren’t worth the listen.)

It’s for these reasons why I’ve always maintained that Michael is a superior album in nearly every respect. The ratio of never-before-heard tracks to previously leaked/released demos was respectable; the song selection (excluding you know what) was top notch; and the production was largely cautious and respectful, even at its most extreme. Each and every song feels unmistakably like Michael Jackson, even when the producers are taking some creative liberties. Compare that to XSCAPE, which in effect is Timbaland and Friends featuring Michael Jackson, with far weaker songs and lesser sound quality.

All this is to say that I’m not anti-XSCAPE, but I don’t think it’s a very worthwhile album.
 
The reason I'm not anti-Xscape is because it didn't completely discard the original demos and were included on the deluxe edition, if you don't like what they did with the remixes you can go back and listen to MJ's original versions instead, unlike the album Michael which completely negates that. I'm still not over not being able to listen to the original versions of Best Of Joy and Another Day.
 
Xscape feels soulless to me after all these years, unfortunately. Mostly agree with AlwaysThere, there.
 
I mean. Compare the latter day Tupac records by Eminem to the earlier, more traditional posthumous records. Or the Jimi Hendrix records right after he passed versus the ones made by the family. They each represent different schools of thoughts. But in both cases, the traditional formula worked more.

The fact Xscape is working as well as it is is a testament to Michael's craftsmanship timelessness. And how on the Cusp of Modern Music he was. So even if you don't like it, MJ never comes away sounding bad imo. He was flexible and his talents shine always.
 
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