Entertainment
How Quincy Jones died fighting Michael Jackson’s ‘ungrateful’ family over unpaid royalties
The entertainment industry lost a legend on November 3, 2024, following the death of music producer Quincy Jones on the age of 91.
Jones worked with many musicians throughout his profession, including Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, and influenced the careers of Frank Sinatra and Aretha Franklin. He also produced the late Michael Jackson’s classic albums “Off the Wall,” “Thriller” and “Bad.”
Before his death, Jones was reportedly embroiled in a $30 million legal dispute with Michael Jackson’s estate over his share of royalties. RadarOnline.
After MJ’s death in 2009, the Jackson Estate allegedly negotiated with Sony Entertainment for a bigger share of the profits from his music, which might have resulted in Jones being excluded from the deal.
Jones was offered a $3 million settlement, significantly lower than the $30 million the Chicago-born composer claimed he was owed.
“Quincy thinks the Jacksons cheated him and he’ll pay them for it. He deserves higher treatment from those ungrateful Jacksons!” – the source said in 2013.
The insider also claimed that Jones saw himself because the “genius” behind Michael’s skilled success and the “Thriller” album, which made him thousands and thousands as a “superstar.”
Jones filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the Jackson Estate in 2013 after allegedly being “frustrated” with the matter for years. The grievance also names Sony Music Entertainment and Epic Records.
In 2017, a jury in Los Angeles awarded the “Secret Garden” composer $9.42 million in damages for using Jones-produced songs in Michael Jackson’s concert film “This Is It” and two Cirque du Soleil shows.
The subject of the civil case were two contracts signed by Jackson and Jones in 1978 and 1985. “Off the Wall” was released in 1979 and “Thriller” in 1982.
High-profile interview from 2018 Vulture Jones said: “I hate to enter this publicly, but Michael stole numerous stuff. He stole numerous songs.
However, in 2020, California’s Second Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the 2017 decision because the unique trial judge allowed the jury to misinterpret Jones’ contract.
The appeals court found that the jury improperly awarded Jones money from royalties and remixes of Jackson’s master recordings. After the appeals court ruling, Jones received only $2.6 million of the initial $9.42 million.
“While we disagree with portions of the Court’s decision and are evaluating our options moving forward, we are pleased that the Court affirmed the jury’s decision that MJJP did not pay Quincy Jones more than the $2.5 million it owed him,” the lawyer said Quincy, J. According to the then Michael Hennigan Related press.
Jackson family attorney Howard Weitzman said: “Quincy Jones was the last person we thought would attempt to benefit from Michael Jackson by filing a lawsuit three years after his death, asking for tens of thousands and thousands of dollars to which he was not entitled. “
Before Off The Wall, Jones and Jackson co-created the 1978 film The Wiz. Jones helped create the songs for the Sidney Lumet-directed musical by which Jackson played the Scarecrow.
“He knew how to do his homework, whether it was Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly or whoever, James Brown. He also copied a little bit of Elvis,” Jones said Hollywood reporter in 2021 about being around Jackson on the set of “The Wiz.”
Four years after the discharge of “The Wiz”, “Thriller” was released, which spent 37 weeks at the highest of the Billboard 200 album chart. Jackson’s sixth studio album won eight trophies on the twenty sixth Annual Grammy Awards in 1984, including Album of the Year.
What’s more, the Epic Records-backed masterpiece has been certified 34x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, making MJ’s sixth studio album one in all the best-selling albums in U.S. history.
The world was mourned when it learned that Jackson died on June 25, 2009 on the age of fifty. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiners and Coroners ruled his death a homicide.
Conrad Murray, Jackson’s personal physician, was convicted of manslaughter in November 2011. Murray administered a lethal dose of propofol to the 13-time Grammy winner, causing his death.
“Michael Jackson was a special form of artist. In some ways he was a man-child, a beyond skilled and dedicated man,” Jones wrote of MJ in a 2009 eulogy published in The New York Times. Los Angeles Times.
Jones also added: “There shall be so much written about what happened in Michael’s life, but to me it’s all just noise. I promise that in 50, 75, 100 years we’ll remember music.
As of this writing, Jones’ reason for death has not been publicly released. The music industry icon suffered two brain aneurysms in 1974, on the age of 41.
Jones also struggled with type 2 diabetes and in 2015 fell right into a diabetic coma. Facebook“By the grace of God I was able to do it, but not without having to make BIG adjustments.”
Entertainment
Pastor Jamal Bryant decides to share Ray J’s ‘dirty and illegal’ interview after the singer’s threats to ‘rip’ him from the pulpit
In the latest season of his popular podcast “Let’s Be Clear,” Pastor Jamal Bryant encourages listeners to engage in honest conversations with a formidable group of influential figures, from politics to popular culture.
Known for his daring and direct approach, Bryant recently took part in the second season of his show with some heavy hitters, including former BET host Jeff Johnson, hip-hop mogul Master P and political icon Stacey Abrams. However, his upcoming interview with singer-turned-entrepreneur Ray J could have caused more confusion than he expected and may not see the light of day.
The “One Wish” singer appears to be upset about a few of the issues discussed during the recording and posted a heated message to Bryant and his team on social media.
Claiming that he was treated unfairly and even describing his experiences as “dirty” and “illegal,” Ray J said in an Instagram video, warning the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church against airing footage of their interview.
“I have nothing but love for Pastor Bryant,” said Ray J. “Shout out to Jamal Bryant, shout out to (columnist) Vaughn Alvarez. But in the event you play this interview, someone shall be kidnapped from the pulpit.
He continued: “Don’t replay the interview; it’s not clear, it was out of bounds. Me and Pastor Bryant need to talk because the way I was treated was dirty and illegal and I don’t like it.”
“I do not care in the event you’re from the church or not. Show respect and do right by people.
Brandy’s brother went on to explain his frustrations, suggesting that he felt unsafe and treated unfairly during the conversation. The outspoken star made it clear there could be a “problem” if his demands weren’t met, emphasizing his desire for respect and fair treatment.
“I do not care in the event you’re from the church or not. Show respect and do right by people. Don’t call people by name and don’t make people feel that they usually are not protected in a spot where they thought they were protected,” he added, emphasizing his disappointment with the experience.
Ray J threatened Pastor Jamal Bryant over the publication of an interview he doesn’t want made public. He warned that if the interview was aired, he would seem on stage at Bryant’s church. pic.twitter.com/ux2BRYQQo2
— What is Da Bizness (@whatsdabizness) November 12, 2024
Ray J, who grew up in the church along with his family, ended his message with a direct warning: “I’m telling you now that we have to solve this because if we don’t, it’s going to be a problem.”
Shortly after the stern warning, one other video featuring the “Wait a Minute” singer went viral wherein he stated: “N-ggas just tried to shoot me and tried to kill me, n-gga, and you want me to apologize, n-ggas?” Fuck you.
It’s unclear whether the two videos are related, but fans of Bryant and Ray J.’s podcast have mixed feelings about the daring threat.
“@brandy come and get your little brother,” one follower joked on The Shade Room comment section.
“Well, you just accused yourself! The press accuses Jamal!” one person wrote, while one other felt it was all a part of an overall plan to get more views: “Great interview ad. A marketing stunt by Ray J.”
The “Love & Hip Hop: Miami” star is understood for attracting media attention along with his viral antics, whether it’s the publicity surrounding his sex tape with Kim Kardashian, promoting his brand’s product, or his recent public skirmish with Diddy’s sons. Ray J knows how to develop into popular, but this will not be what fans expected.
“That’s not how it works,” one other fan wrote. “You don’t have any control over whether your interview is published or not, you conducted the interview! Now he’s here and he’s physically threatening someone?
One of Pastor Bryant’s supporters declared, “We would jump on him lol in the name of the Lord.”
Celebrity life coach and “Houseparty” star AJ Johnson also jumped into the comments section and said, “Oh @rayj call me. I’m stuck on how to conduct an interview you do not need to see, where are you threatening??? You are higher than this.
Many people on X were shocked that the former “Moesha” star would publicly come after the good pastor.
“Ray J is literally a spoiled brat turned adult, he’s an insufferable man who refuses to grow up” – one tweet To read.
Another used a meme of Bryant’s ex-wife, Giselle Bryant from “The Real Housewives of Potomac,” adding: “Ray J threatened to kidnap Jamal Bryant from the pulpit if he aired their podcast… I do know the Holy Whore pastor higher not let Brandy’s brother punk him #RHOP“
Ray J threatened to kidnap Jamal Bryant from the pulpit if he aired their podcast…
I do know Pastor Holy Whore higher not let Brother Brandy beat him #RHOP pic.twitter.com/WuCeYzQY6l
— Bravo, Obsessive Bestie💎🍑🌸❄️🍎 (@SomeonesWife86) November 13, 2024
Many were eagerly waiting to see if Bryant and his team would respond or explain the situation. Hours after the post went viral, the Morehouse alum posted a response on his Instagram page.
“I used to be very grateful to have recently interviewed one in all the few mavericks of this generation, @rayj who has made greater than an impact in many alternative fields. It was each surprising and disheartening to get up to baseless threats and baseless accusations directed at me,” Pastor Bryant wrote in the caption, adding: “As a part of our commitment to honest dialogue, now we have made sure that specific comments that will have “The legal consequences have been drafted to withdraw from the job interview to protect the interests of your beloved brother.”
Bryant went on to explain that his podcast’s mission “is to foster authentic and constructive conversations with thought leaders, and this episode was no exception.”
“We are a live-to-tape production company that normally doesn’t make any changes, nevertheless in the spirit of brotherhood this has been resolved by an agreement that no other changes shall be made as The Jamal Bryant Podcast: Let’s Be Clear strives to be serious and transparent in every episode,” he added.
The Atlanta preacher went on to say that “private agreements between him and Ray J. have now been brought to light,” but he will not be “embroiled in a battle that demeans our community and everything it represents.”
He concluded his message by expressing unconditional love for the former “Moesha” star, offering “Grace and peace.”
Many of Bryant’s 748,000 followers chimed in, praising his handling of the situation. Although he refused to crumple to the self-proclaimed Blood, he made an effort to deescalate the tense exchange.
“He has too much soprano in his voice to be threatening,” one follower commented on Ray J., while one other wrote: “Well said, Pastor! We support you!”
One fan added: “You’re nice too, Pastor! He must have hit his head between the washer and dryer.
“We will work for our pastor! Just like the Beyhive steps for Beyoncé…saints walk for the Pastor,” the New Birth member shared.
“So you’re publishing a podcast?” – several followers asked why Bryant revealed that the episode would air on Thursday, November 14 at noon.
One thing is obvious: Bryant’s congregation strongly supports him and is prepared to defend him, even when it means difficult a star like Ray J.
Entertainment
Quincy’s Hip Hop Jones – Andscape
However, Jones had no intention of repeating his previous business glories, 75 million albums sold and 13 of the 28 Grammy Awards he won within the Eighties. Jones envisioned an idea album that might mix black musical expression, from Zulu choral songs, jazz and gospel to R&B, funk and the latest member of the family, hip-hop.
Just just a few years earlier, Jones had planned an unlikely collaboration in 1987 between Jackson, nicknamed the King of Pop, and Queens, New York hip-hop group Run-DMC on an anti-drug song called “Crack Kills” that was never realized. above the bottom. Jones believed that rap, a young and controversial art form, deserved a seat on the table. So in the summertime of 1989, he invited hip-hop artists Melle Mel, Ice-T, Kool Moe Dee and Big Daddy Kane to a recording session in Los Angeles. Eyebrows rose.
The uncompromising rappers were actually out of line An excellent American songbook luminaries reminiscent of Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. – What are we going to do with this s…? The 4 MCs wondered aloud after Jones played them the New Jack Swing title track, Melle Mel recalled in a 2001 book. The Master calmed them down. “Stretch,” Jones said. “It’s about solving the mind, not polluting the mind, about staying authentic on the streets and true to yourself.”
For Ice-T, the godfather of West Coast gangsta rap, Jones’ signature was powerful. “As rappers, we don’t get as much respect from the music community.” Ice-T said in the course of the premiere of the documentary in 1990. “But now when someone of Quincy’s caliber says, ‘Yo, rap is hot… all you losers need to leave it alone now.’ “
Jones saw hip-hop as a full-fledged, legitimate movement. In 1986, he threw his son, rap fanatic Quincy Jones III, a surprise party at Canastel’s restaurant in Manhattan. Everyone from Run-DMC, LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys to The Fat Boys, Roxanne Shante, Whodini and Kurtis Blow were in the home.
“It was clear then – at least to some of us – that rap had made its mark on our culture,” Jones said, looking back. “This was our newest baby and she was here to stay.”
For Jones, this wasn’t a cheeky attempt at being a cool dad. When he saw his son’s wide-eyed meeting of tight-knit MCs, he was reminded of the primary time he met his bebop jazz heroes 35 years earlier, who, just like the burgeoning hip-hop scene, faced opposition from social activists, politicians and law enforcement.
This was the golden age of hip-hop, producing artists reminiscent of Eric B. & Rakim, Too $hort, Salt-N-Pepa, Public Enemy, NWA, De La Soul and Queen Latifah. Rappers went platinum and sold out arenas. Critics and fans praised the youthful genre for its dynamic wordplay, unfiltered urban social commentary, and groundbreaking use of a production technique called sampling. Critics of rap have described it as the perfect noise for youth and, at worst, a threat to the community.
But Jones saw the longer term of hip-hop. And it went beyond music. Impressed by the witty comedic rhymes and Middle American charm of 21-yr-old rapper Will Smith, one half of the double-platinum Philadelphia duo Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Jones asked Smith to check out for a starring role in a brand new comedy series he was executive producing for NBC.
“Rap is not the main thing,” Jones told the magazine in 1990. “If you eliminated rap, the premise wouldn’t fall apart. But rap gives you the purest street consciousness.” became a rankings hit and launched Smith on the trail to becoming one in all Hollywood’s most profitable movie stars.
Jones wasn’t done. In 1993, he co-founded the magazine, a glossy hip-hop publication that gave rappers like Snoop Doggy Dogg, TLC, OutKast, Master P, The Notorious BIG and Lil’ Kim the identical serious, long-read gravitas as ’70s white rockers. Jones along with his magazine’s biggest cover star, Tupac Shakur, nevertheless, was more complex.
When Shakur was interviewed by the magazine in 1993, – he rushed at Jones regarding his relationships with white women and having “f**ked up children.” “I wasn’t happy at first,” Jones said in 2012. “He attacked me for having all these white wives. And my daughter Rashida, who went to Harvard, wrote a letter to separate him.
Things eventually took a positive turn when Shakur met Jones’ daughter, Kidada (the couple later became engaged). “I remember dropping Rashida off at Jerry’s deli one night, and Tupac was talking to Kidada because he had fallen in love with her,” Jones recalled in an interview. “Like an idiot, I walked up to him, put my hands on his shoulders and said, ‘Pac, we need to sit down and talk, man.’ If he had a gun, I would be finished. But we talked. He apologized. We became very close after that.”
Jones remained one in all hip-hop’s strongest defenders even after the deaths of two of hip-hop’s brightest stars. In 1997, he wrote an impassioned editorial condemning the murders of Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. as “senseless” and calling the East Coast-West Coast rap war a “sad farce”. But when a reporter asked Jones about negative criticism of hip-hop, he responded.
“Condemning hip-hop is tantamount to condemning two generations of our youth, and it is a far-reaching indictment that we cannot allow.” he said. “It hurts the situation more than it helps.”
Over the years, Jones’ relationship with hip-hop has remained close. He appeared within the music video for Wu-Tang Clan’s 1997 song “Triumph” and wrote the music for 50 Cent’s 2005 film. After his death, tributes poured in from hip-hop artists praising the person who embraced the culture.
“,” Jones rapped within the prologue to the song, which sold 3 million copies and won seven Grammy Awards, including album of the yr in 1991. Melle Mel, Ice-T, Kool Moe Dee and Big Daddy Kane won a Grammy for best rap performance performed by a duo or group.
Mission achieved.
Entertainment
Jazz world mourns pioneering saxophonist Lou Donaldson and drummer Roy Haynes
Two of jazz’s most enduring pioneers have died after incredibly prolific and influential careers. Acclaimed saxophonist Lou Donaldson died on Saturday, November 9 on the age of 98. Donaldson’s friend and one other jazz great, drummer Roy Haynes, died on Tuesday on the age of 99. No reason for death for any of the musicians was given.
Born in Badin, North Carolina in 1926, Donaldson attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and served in World War II before becoming a part of the post-war bebop scene within the late Forties and early Fifties. Inspired by Charlie Parker to desert the clarinet in favor of the alto saxophone, Donaldson became considered considered one of the best within the genre, although he also reportedly suffered from severe asthma. Over the course of his decades-long profession, he has performed and recorded with jazz icons Thelonious Monk, Milt Jackson, Art Blakey, Jimmy Smith, Horace Silver, George Benson and more. He also released dozens of albums because the band’s leader, including the favored LPs “Alligator Bogaloo,” “Lou Donaldson at His Best” and “Wailing With Lou.” His last release was 1992’s “Birdseed” on the Lou Donaldson Quintet.
According to “Jazz has to hit a certain point,” Donaldson explained in his autobiography New York Times. “There’s a rhythm you have to hit, and if you play enough music around musicians and play enough in front of people, you’ll figure out where that is.”
Donaldson’s “warm, fluid style,” as he describes Related presscombining elements of blues, pop and soul. His musical influences prolonged beyond the world of jazz, and his compositions and performances were sampled by hip-hop artists similar to Kanye West, Pete Rock, Nas and De La Soul. In 2022, the boulevard in his hometown of Badin was renamed after the saxophonist. Donaldson died in Daytona Beach, Florida; although he was known to have fathered two daughters, further details about his survivors was not immediately available.
In 2013 Donaldson has been named a “Jazz Master” by the National Endowment of the Artsand renowned drummer Roy Haynes was available to support and have fun one other jazz great. Just over a decade later, Haynes died just days after his friend on Tuesday in Long Island, New York, after a transient illness, his daughter, Leslie Haynes-Gilmore, confirmed to The Times and Washington Post..
Haynes, a first-generation Barbadian American born in Boston in 1925, reportedly began playing drums in local nightclubs as an adolescent. After moving to New York in 1945, Haynes’s style “was characterized by clarity and finesse,” becoming known by the nickname “Snap Crackle,” in accordance with Percussion Arts Society (PAS).
As he noticed USA todayHaynes’ distinctive style made him a sought-after drummer by such talents as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan, Max Roach, Charles Mingus and Lester Young, amongst others. Despite his common associations with the bebop sound, Haynes eschewed categorization, linking his work to other musical styles and told PAS in a 1998 interview: “I don’t always feel comfortable with these labels that people use. I’m just an old drummer who tries to play by feel.”
In his nearly seventy-year profession, Haynes has won two Grammy Awards; first prize within the category of Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Group in 1989 for the album “Blues for Coltrane – A Tribute to John Coltrane” and in 2000 within the category of Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual or Group for the album “Like Minds”. Like Donaldson, Haynes has had an in depth recording profession, releasing his last album, “Roy-Alty,” in 2011.
In addition to his daughter, Haynes is survived by sons, fellow drummer Craig Holiday Haynes and cornetist Graham Haynes, eight grandchildren, including drummer Marcus Gilmore, and seven great-grandchildren.
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