*A long-lost collaboration between hip-hop icon LL Cool J and Michael Jackson has come to light after a physical recording of one of their unreleased tracks surfaced.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, former California Highway Patrol officer Gregg Musgrove found several DAT tapes with unreleased MJ songs in a Van Nuys storage unit he purchased. The tapes, recorded between 1989 and 1991, reportedly feature 12 unheard tracks, including one titled “Truth on Youth”—a duet featuring LL Cool J. The storage unit previously belonged to producer Bryan Loren, whom Musgrove has been unable to contact.
The unreleased tracks are music Jackson worked on before the “Dangerous” album, around 1989 to 1991.
“I’ve gone to all the fan sites. Some of [the songs] are rumored to exist, some of them have been leaked a little bit,” Musgrove told THR. “A couple aren’t even out there in the world.”
Musgrove’s collection includes snippets of several unreleased songs, as well as recordings of Jackson—and presumably Loren—discussing the creative process.
Scroll to continue reading
Unreleased Michael Jackson music was found in an abandoned storage unit in LA pic.twitter.com/yN2GEuW2ym
— Pigeons & Planes (@PigsAndPlans) December 13, 2024
“I’m listening to this stuff, and I would get goosebumps because nobody’s ever heard this stuff before,” Musgrove said. “To hear Michael Jackson actually talk and kind of joke back and forth, it was really, really cool.”
One of the unreleased tracks is titled “Don’t Believe It.” In another recording, Jackson discusses the meaning behind a song called “Seven Digits,” which refers to the identification numbers given to bodies in a morgue. LL Cool J previously shared his experiences working with the King of Pop.
“Me and Michael Jackson went to the studio, man,” the rapper shared. “Mike showed a lot of love to me in general, and definitely to Hip Hop. Let’s be clear: For me, he’s the king. I’m a Michael Jackson fan, b. His talent speaks for itself.”
Although Musgrove intends to auction the tapes, the songs are unlikely to be released to the public, as Jackson’s estate has asserted ownership of the recordings’ copyrights.
A representative for the estate released the following statement: “The Estate of Michael Jackson was presented with DAT copies, NOT master recordings, of Michael’s music, and we confirmed that the actual master recordings were in fact already located in the Estate’s vaults. It should be clear to all that ownership and rights of exploitation to the recordings remain vested in MJJP Records, and that nothing commercial or otherwise can be done with the DAT copies.”
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: La Toya Jackson Shares Video from Family’s Holiday Gathering
