Will.I.Am's Jackson Benchmark

everlastinglove_MJeverlastinglove_MJ Posts: 2,884
Will.I.Am's Jackson Benchmark
will.i.am uses Michael Jackson as the benchmark by which he judges all of his own songs.


will.i.am claims Michael Jackson is behind all his biggest hits.

The 'Black Eyed Peas' hitmaker - who has produced number one singles for a host of stars including Usher, Estelle, Cheryl Cole and his own group Black Eyed Peas - says he uses the 'King of Pop' for inspiration when he's trying to write a hit track.

He said: "We call it 'A-B-ing.' Anything you make, there's nothing new under the sun. So there's always an 'A and B', whatever your approach is.

"So if you want a song to be a big number one smash, then you have to play a Michael Jackson song while you're making your song."

Will also admitted he uses Michael - one of the greatest pop stars of all time, and a notorious perfectionist, who made the biggest selling album of all time 'Thriller', and collaborated with Will before his death from acute Propofol intoxication last year - as the benchmark to decide if tracks will be a hit.

He explained to MTV: "What you don't want to do is have a 'hit record' and then turn it on and it isn't as loud as Michael Jackson's."

Meanwhile upcoming female US rapper Nicki Minaj - who enlisted Will's help on her song 'Check It Out' - praised his ability to improvise.

She said: "That's when I knew he was a freaking, next-level - he was not even a human when he recorded me. The word 'producer' means different things depending on who's using the word. Will's the only producer that produced me. He really sat there and he got this weird sound, and I was like, 'What?' He just made the beat on the spot."

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"So if you want a song to be a big number one smash, then you have to play a Michael Jackson song while you're making your song."
Mmm, "I Gotta Feeling" is now a big number one smash in the American Billboard 100. Wat is Will saying ...is Michael (still) behind this? <!-- s8-) -->8-)<!-- s8-) -->

L.O.V.E.

Comments

  • Since Wil.i.Am collaborated with MJ it may not be surprising MJ made a cameo appearance in the video Where is the LOVE. Well at least i THINK i spotted MJ!!
    I was just watching and enjoying the video, and suddenly, sort of subliminal, i felt i saw Michael!!
    So i stop-play-stop-played it, its a fraction of a second but i really belive it is MJ. I think Paris is there as well.(left of Michael)
    The song would totally have MJ's approval, its his main theme; Love, Peace, values of humanity, suffering children....
    CHECK OUT; 1.08 SECS, AND 1.10 SECS.

    [youtube:3m8mdb81]
  • Thanks for sharing this information and also for the video. I couldn't see MJ in the video but I really liked the video and the message was very "Mjish".

    I think anyone would do well to follow Michael's lead in making hit music. However, it takes more than just a few words to make a hit and Michael definitely had "it" that very few, if any, that came after Michael can legitimately claim. Blessings.
  • ok, i have a screenshot!!
    171487613-71fa076449ebdb36c48a9af47d5e1c8b.4ca7ab60-scaled.jpg
  • Since Wil.i.Am collaborated with MJ it may not be surprising MJ made a cameo appearance in the video Where is the LOVE. Well at least i THINK i spotted MJ!!
    I was just watching and enjoying the video, and suddenly, sort of subliminal, i felt i saw Michael!!
    So i stop-play-stop-played it, its a fraction of a second but i really belive it is MJ. I think Paris is there as well.(left of Michael)
    The song would totally have MJ's approval, its his main theme; Love, Peace, values of humanity, suffering children....
    CHECK OUT; 1.08 SECS, AND 1.10 SECS.

    [youtube:10s5jlfi]

    Thank you Auntielizzie, I believe I saw Michael too when I checked out the video!! If I am correct Michael is disguised as a clown (I think he'd love that) and Paris is on the left side of Michael with the beige hat and black-white jacket. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I beLIEve so.
    Where is the LOVE is one of my favourites, especially because of the main theme like you mentioned and if I may add Injustice! I agree this song suits well in where MJ stands for.

    Nite, I'll go to dreamland.

    L.O.V.E. lives forever
  • simalvessimalves Posts: 730
    Screenshot
  • You guys have good eyes! <!-- s:D -->:D<!-- s:D --> I agree that it could be MJ there...

    Michael was truly unique in his combination of talents and passions (singer-songwriter-dancer-choreographer-visionary-humanitarian), but other people do good things on different levels, and the more people are inspired by MJ and spread his message, the better off humankind and this planet will be... So it's nice to see that Will.I.Am is inspired by MJ and uses him as a benchmark (a great compliment, BTW). I also recall that Will.I.Am showed a lot of respect to MJ during that interview shot in their work studio in Ireland... He said that he and all the Justin Timberlake's of today are a product of MJ. He seemed to think the world of Michael!
  • You guys have good eyes! <!-- s:D -->:D<!-- s:D --> I agree that it could be MJ there...

    Thats what 15 months of investigating does to a person! <!-- s:D -->:D<!-- s:D -->
    I have a sort of built in spy-eye for anything concerning MJ.
    I didnt really SEE it though, its probbably not more then 2 or 3 frames, so its sort of subliminal.

    I wouldnt be surprised if MJ helped with the fundings for this video, coz the message agrees so much with him. Also, i think Katherine Jackson said something like; the kids are already in showbusiness.(I believe its Paris by his side there) so maybe she referred to little cameos like this. Maybe there are more around, "Hidden in plain sight" <!-- s:lol: -->:lol:<!-- s:lol: -->
  • @truthprevails
    Thanks to auntielizzie I noticed MJ in the video. Michael, no doubt about it, no sorry that's not true.. there's a little doubt, 'cause the image isn't sharp enough. However, when I look at his face contour and his height (different opinions on this forum about that <!-- s:? -->:?<!-- s:? --> ) I think it's him. This videoshot is too short to see him move. If there was by any chance an occasion that Michael was walking in front of me on the street, I think I'd recognize him, although he's a master of diguise <!-- s8-) -->8-)<!-- s8-) -->
    I also recall that Will.I.Am showed a lot of respect to MJ during that interview shot in their work studio in Ireland... He said that he and all the Justin Timberlake's of today are a product of MJ. He seemed to think the world of Michael!

    Yes, I noticed that respect too. I think Michael is an inspirational mentor for promising singers/actors. Was this interview taken in a work studio in Ireland?? Do you have a link of this complete interview?

    BTW, I suppose that not all songs of Will.I.Am are getting Michael’s approval. I mean in “Where is the Love” I see MJ (not only figuratively), but in “I gotta Feeling” I don’t recognize any of his work, may be I’m wrong.

    everlasting L.O.V.E.
  • You guys have good eyes! <!-- s:D -->:D<!-- s:D --> I agree that it could be MJ there...

    Thats what 15 months of investigating does to a person! <!-- s:D -->:D<!-- s:D -->
    I have a sort of built in spy-eye for anything concerning MJ.
    I didnt really SEE it though, its probbably not more then 2 or 3 frames, so its sort of subliminal.

    I wouldnt be surprised if MJ helped with the fundings for this video, coz the message agrees so much with him. Also, i think Katherine Jackson said something like; the kids are already in showbusiness.(I believe its Paris by his side there) so maybe she referred to little cameos like this. Maybe there are more around, "Hidden in plain sight" <!-- s:lol: -->:lol:<!-- s:lol: -->

    <!-- s:lol: -->:lol:<!-- s:lol: --> Did your well trained spy-eye <!-- s:shock: -->:shock:<!-- s:shock: --> by any chance find more little cameos "hidden in plain sight" of which we aren't aware of? The video you posted was a good exercise for my less trained spy-eye <!-- s:D -->:D<!-- s:D -->
  • Thank you for your detective work! <!-- s:D -->:D<!-- s:D -->

    Below is the interview I referred to, with Michael and Will.I.Am. It's from 2006, when Michael was living in Ireland. The interviewer said that the house in which Michael was staying at the time was equipped with a recording studio - where I understand this interview was held:

    [youtube:2d89uxen]

    [youtube:2d89uxen]
  • Thanks a lot for the video’s. I really enjoyed them. I love to watch Michael when he’s relaxed & having fun. At the end of the 2nd video MJ says that he’s inspired by the “Timberlakes”, which shows his true modesty.

    These vids are very interesting. To me, they imply that Michael is still preparing for his big return, like Will said: “with a joke (vid 2: 1.58) back to that monstrosity of entertainment & music”.
    This “joke” could be Thriller 2, which is mentioned in vid 1. “Monstrosity” nice choice of words concerning Thriller <!-- s;) -->;)<!-- s;) --> Although this interview was in 2006, the planning & producing is running now. Michael loves films & producing & camara’s. TII is a masterpiece, but it’s just a preview of the “real thing” Thriller 2. Michael is coming back for the “real thing”. I’m pretty sure ‘bout that. Hope so anyway <!-- s:D -->:D<!-- s:D -->

    L.O.V.E.& faith
  • Black Eyed Peas To Go Back To The Beginning
    Follow-up to chart-smashing The E.N.D. drops November 30.
    By Gil Kaufman

    The Black Eyed Peas have already taken millions of us to The E.N.D., so it only makes sense that on their upcoming album they're going to take us back to The Beginning. That's the name of the sequel to last year's nearly triple-platinum album, which just last week fell out of the top 40 on the Billboard albums chart after more than a year on the tally. A spokesperson for the band's label confirmed the title of the LP and its November 30 release date to MTV News.
    In a recent Dipdive.com interview from the set of will.i.am and Nicki Minaj's "Check It Out" video, BEP leader will.i.am revealed that the band has a new collaborator on the disc: Damien "DJ Ammo" LeRoy, who worked on four songs. According to his online bio, the little known, Los Angeles-based Ammo regularly DJs all over the world and has played parties for Will, BEP singer Fergie and Outkast. Ammo is also behind remixes for the Veronicas and the BEPs and produced Kelis' single "4th of July (Fireworks)," which was released on Will's label via Interscope.
    Will said that in addition to producing three songs himself on the 12-track Beginning, dance-floor master David Guetta had a hand in producing two others. Describing the prequel to The Associated Press back in July, Will described it as symbolizing "growth, new beginnings and starts, fresh new perspective."
    The Peas have a tough act to follow, considering The E.N.D. is certified double-platinum in the U.S. and has produced three #1 singles, including the mega-smashes "I Gotta Feeling" and "Boom Boom Pow." A first single from the album is tentatively due in October and while fans haven't heard it yet, will.i.am recently broke down his hit-making strategy for MTV's "The Seven."
    "We call it 'A-B-ing.' Anything you make, there's nothing new under the sun. So there's always an 'A and B' to whatever your approach is," he said of producing smashes for everyone from Usher to Estelle and Nicki Minaj. "So if you want a song to be a big #1 smash, then you have to play a Michael Jackson song while you're making your song."
    He said using an artist such as Jackson as a benchmark will usually let a producer know if a track really has that "It" factor. "What you don't want to do is have a 'hit record' and then turn it on and it isn't as loud as Michael Jackson's."
    <!-- m -->http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/164934 ... peas.jhtml<!-- m -->

    Okay, we all know that Michael was cooperating with Will.I.Am, so I find the title The Beginning after The E.N.D. quite interesting. Release in November (also!). Is Michael behind this album too? <!-- s8-) -->8-)<!-- s8-) -->

    L.O.V.E.
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