S. Samuel
R&B singer Ne-Yo has publicly opened up about his disapproval of the new posthumous Michael Jackson album, Michael, and why he will not support the late pop star's project.
From Ne-Yo’s perspective, the late Jackson would not have released Michael.
“I haven’t heard it yet,” Ne-Yo told New York paparazzi. “I’m not really trying to hear that. Nah. I’m gonna stick to my old Mike. He was definitely a perfectionist. Mind you, if Michael was still alive, I don’t think that album would be out yet. I don’t think it would be out yet.” (TMZ)
Black Eyed Peas‘ frontman Will.i.am has also publicly criticized the album.
“Whoever put it out and is profiting off of it, I want to see how cold they are,” he says, “to say that what [Michael] contributed during his life wasn’t enough. He just wasn’t any ordinary artist. He was a hands-on person. To me it’s disrespectful. There’s no honoring…Michael Jackson songs are finished when Michael says they’re finished. Maybe if I never worked with him I wouldn’t have this perspective. He was very particular about how he wanted his vocals, the reverb he used…he was that hands-on.” (Entertainment Weekly)
Despite the criticism, artists like Lenny Kravitz, Akon and 50 Cent appear on the LP.
“[Michael Jackson] said he was interested in working with me and said he had something he wanted me to actually hear,” 50 said in an interview. “To talk to him is confirmation on different levels that you’ve made it. He said he wanted to work with me and [he] had some ideas and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I would love to.’ I’m nervous and all that on the phone, and I don’t usually get nervous because I really don’t care about a lot of the other artists but Mike is special. Something different — after Mike passed, Mike was gone and all the confusion takes place. Things settle down a little bit, and I get a call to actually come in and perform on the actual song he intended for us to work on together.” (MJ Jackson)
The project is currently slated to debut atop the sales chart this week.
Epic’s MICHAEL, the late superstar’s second official posthumous release (after last year’s This Is It soundtrack), hit retail Tuesday, and first-week sales estimates are now between 225-250k for the album. Estimates for R. Kelly’s typically salacious Love Letter are in the 150-160k range, which would beat most industry forecasts, as the veteran R&B superstar tends to do. (HITS Daily Double)
Check out Ne-Yo speaking on Michael down below:
