In an intriguing twist, it seems there’s unreleased music from the legendary Michael Jackson and Jay-Z duo lingering in the musical cosmos. A remix featuring these two icons recently resurfaced after a two-decade absence.
On March 13, during an episode of the Bloomberg Originals series “Idea Generation,” producer Just Blaze confirmed the existence of a version of Jay-Z’s popular 2001 song “Girls, Girls, Girls” that includes vocals from the late and highly regarded King of Pop.
“It turns out Michael Jackson is on the ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ remix – the A version,” disclosed the seasoned music industry veteran. “And I had no clue. I’m not even sure if I was present in the studio that day. I assumed it was some sort of urban legend or perhaps something Jay mentioned in passing or as a jest, or maybe it was just a myth.”
After Jackson’s premature death in 2009, Jay-Z disclosed to the British entertainment magazine New Musical Express (NME) that the “Billie Jean” master had provided vocals for the song. Nevertheless, the final version included on the 2001 album “The Blueprint” by the rapper known for “Song Cry” did not incorporate Jackson’s vocals, causing confusion among fans who were perplexed by the reference for an extended period of time.
In a surprising turn of events during the 2020 pandemic, Blaze claimed to have stumbled upon the once-elusive material just a couple of years prior while sifting through his computer archives.
“I stumble upon this folder labeled ‘MJ vocals,'” he recounted. “And I’m thinking, ‘MJ? Could that be Michael Jackson?'”
“As I start listening to it, I realize it’s him singing on ‘Girls, Girls, Girls.’ And I’m like, it’s true,” he continued. “For the past 20 years… I’ve been completely oblivious to its existence. And it turns out the files had been sitting there all this time, right under my nose.”
