Last week on Jamie Foxx’s Foxxhole radio show on Sirus, Jamie and his co-host Johnnie Mack, had a disagreement about the remake of "We Are the World" (WATW).
Jamie feelings were that the intention in remaking the song was to raise money for Haiti and not necessarily about the remake. He said that Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie already had plans to remake the song to commemorate the 25th anniversary prior to the Haiti Earthquake, but after the earthquake occurred they decided to remake the song to aide the Haiti relief.
Jamie’s co-host Johnnie Mack on the other hand considered the original WATW to be a “classic,” and he agreed with Jay-Z’s comment that the original song should not have been remade.
During the NBA’s All-Star weekend in Dallas this year, a reporter asked Jay-Z—who did not participate in the WATW remake, his thoughts regarding the remake. Jay-Z stated,
“I know everybody is gonna take this wrong: 'We Are the World,' I love it, and I understand the point and think it's great. But I think 'We Are the World' is like Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' to me. I don't ever wanna see it touched. I'm a fan of music. I know the plight and everything that's going on in Haiti. So I appreciate the efforts and everything, but 'We are the World' is musically untouchable like 'Thriller' is untouchable. It was a valiant effort, but for me, it's gonna be untouchable.”
“Then why say it? …why…no wait, wait stop right there!"
Why say it? I love Jay-Z, but why say it? I, uh, no, no here is the thing. Because here’s, like I, like I said, if they are going to take it wrong and you know you are Jay-Z and you’re very-- I mean everybody’s looking at you because you are the man. Why do you cut the legs out from under Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones? Because that’s what you’re doing. Now you make it seem…because on blogs and on the internet now its, now their comparing the song and they forgot about the message. They forgot the…can I finish? Why say it?
What it does…is that it causes what we’re doing now. It doesn’t make sense that we are arguing about whether the lay of the beat or whether Beyonce’s sings Halo or whether Justin Timberlake has--this was their part, this is what their giving yo! You got to talk to Quincy Jones and Lionel…maybe you should call them and then listen to them because what you talk--they don’t need money. Someone was said Lionel needed a look…Lionel owns half of Beverly Hills, he don’t need that!
“Quincy Jones, Quincy Jones has done everything for all of us young entertainers to have respect…so my whole thing is –let me finish! So if he [Jay-Z] says that its going to be taken the wrong way, if you say it, it is taken the wrong way… it not about Jay-Z, it not about Lionel Richie, it not about Quincy Jones, it’s what we do for Haiti…
Check out more of Jamie’s quotes (and audio) regarding how:
(1) Jay-Z drew attention away from the remake;
(2) today’s entertainers are fake (including himself); and
(3) Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Beyonce would have ran at the chance, if someone not of color (e.g. white) would have asked them to participate in something.
