Teddy Riley Responds To The Critics
Legendary producer Teddy Riley called into “The Gyantunplugged Show” last night to discuss all the drama surrounding the new Michael Jackson theater. If you didn’t know Sony/Epic is releasing a brand new CD, which the Jackson family is alluding is fake. Teddy calls into clear up the air on the controversy, as well drop some bombs about his services not being paid for. Riley talks about production on the new album, as well as the greedy people behind the scenes. Listen to Teddy Riley @ the 129 min mark, or [1:33] http://gyantunplugged.com/exclusive/exclusive-teddy-riley-talks-about-michael-jackson-drama-over-alleged-fuax-music-plus-discusses-the-greedy-people-out-for-mjs/
Dialogue transcribed by David Edwards
Host: What started this whole situation is that a new Michael Jackson album is going to be coming to stores in t...he fourth quarter by Sony/Epic, and the Jackson family has come out publicly and said that these tracks are fake, they are in fact not Michael Jackson songs, and…………….. So I was like “Let’s call Teddy and ask Teddy, because he might know!”
Teddy Riley: This is my first interview about this record. Take everything that I’m saying seriously. For so long, there has been a lot of bickering over my friend. And I am a true friend to Michael Jackson. I came on this project, and this record (“Breaking News”) is coming out tomorrow. I still haven’t gotten paid for this project.
Host: WHAT??!!!
Teddy Riley: Because I did it for Michael Jackson! Not Sony, and not the family! OK? I don’t want to put anybody on Front Street, but just understand what I’m saying and you can all read between the lines. (Note: To put somebody on “Front Street” means to “call someone out or put them in an embarrassing position”.) Everyone, including who we’re talking about, is bickering and fighting over Michael. It’s unimportant. What’s important is keeping his legacy going. These vocals are Michael Jackson. All of the people who’ve really been in the studio with Michael for 20 years, all the professionals, and a musicologist, went in, and they all say it’s Michael, including me. We’ve worked with Michael. We’ve been in the studio with Michael. There’s been times when Michael didn’t want to be around either family or friends. Read between the lines. None of them have been in the studio with Michael in 25 years. None of them! Exclude Sony. Let’s go to all the people who stayed with Michael, like Michael Prince, who’s Michael’s right arm. Like Brad Buxter, the guy who always records Michael. All of these people know Michael’s voice. On this album, I’m called “the Finisher” because I’m always called at the end of Michael’s projects. Michael always called me at the end. “Invincible”, I was called at the end. “HIStory”, I was called at the end. And including “Dangerous”, I was called at the end, and wound up taking at least 40%, 50% of the album.
Host: Which is true, because I remember you told me, you were like “Nate, I’m gonna call you at the end, because Michael calls me at the end so we can work on a record.”
Teddy Riley: I’m called at the end of every project, and they called at the end of this project because they couldn’t really distinguish what’s going on. Because all of the producers, well, some of the producers on this project never really worked with Michael, so they couldn’t really figure it out. Basically, what they were doing was just remixes. They weren’t really figuring out like “This is what Michael would really want.” So when you hear this record, and you hear the records that I’ve worked on, all of a sudden it’s my records that are being scrutinized. It is Michael. And the person who is really trying to screw this all up, his initials are J.M. We know who J.M. is. He’s stirring it up because he challenged me on this record. He mixed the same records. Now this is the guy who is the head of the estate. And he challenged me because I worked in the studio and I said “I can’t work in here. I’m not comfortable.” And when I left the studio, he assigned another producer to mix the same songs that I was working on, and my songs beat him. Now all of a sudden “it’s not Michael’s voice.” Why? Because his songs did not make it.
Teddy Riley: Yes, it is! And the thing about it is, they will lose! Let’s go to court! Let’s really put it on Front Street. The whole family, the estate, everything will be on Front Street, a...nd then all the truth will come out, and then you’ll see who’s right and who’s wrong. It’s been going on for so long. Michael is the greatest entertainer, the greatest person in the whole, wide world. Why would you want to do that to your own family? Let the legacy live!
Host: What is your take in the album being released at all? Because there’s some controversy in that, almost.
Teddy Riley: My take on it is its keeping the legacy going! How are we going to keep Michael Jackson the greatest when he has so many things, like — he has records for days! (Note: “for days” means “the possession of a large quantity of something that will last a prolonged period of time”.) He has about, what I’d say, what I heard with my own ears, is at least 50 records. Now a lot of them, all he would do is go in and do the first verse, and the chorus, and he would not do a second verse. It’s just to get the idea down. So the next album that’s coming, and I don’t want to say too much, but the next album that’s coming is a duet album that’s going to be with a lot of great artists, because he only did first verses.
Host: Please tell me that Nikki Minaj won’t be on this project! Or Drake! (Note: they are two up and coming hip-hop artists.)
Teddy Riley: No, like I said, it will be great artists, and artists that have substance. Artists that are very, very creative but great. Anybody from that camp. It will probably be, maybe be Lil’ Wayne or Drake if they keep their substance going.
Host: That’d be crazy Michael Jackson featuring Lil’ Wayne! That would be crazy!
Teddy Riley: It’s gotta be really, really — and I’m gonna be a part of that because of my contributions, even to this record. My contributions to this record is not for Sony, it’s not for anyone! It’s for Michael! The proof is in the pudding. I haven’t even gotten a contract.
Teddy Riley: I haven’t even gotten a contract.
Host: And they are releasing it tomorrow? So how are you going to handle this?
Teddy Riley: They’re streaming it tomorrow, and people will tell you, I came on this project because of Michael. Not anyone else. So when you tell me, and this is what this gentleman told me, “Come on this project, I got you, don’t worry about it, dada - dada - da”, it was for him to put his name on my records with me. He wanted some production credit!
Host: So I take it you have your attorneys on it ready for tomorrow?
Teddy Riley: No question! My attorney is the greatest attorney in Atlanta. He’s got his own street. He’s got his own boulevard. So of course I’m not worried about anything! He’s the best guy. So I’m not worried about that. All I’m worried about is my friend having a great album. So what I did is, I started the first song. And when I started the first song, they thought I was going to be like all of the other producers, taking about 5 days, or 6 days. No, I took 5 hours, and finished the first song. So when I finished the first song, they thought I was just going to come on and do one song, because a lot of those producers, they spent months on one song. Me, I came in and did it in 5 hours, because I knew! I had sounds that Michael made us go and sample. He made us go — that was his thing, he was about sounds. So made us go out in the wilderness, and sample the lions, and his zoo, and all of this stuff we had to do. Like back in the day when they had these stereo DAT players, he made us go out there and take our DAT players. He bought it for a purpose for us; To go out and sample sounds! We went out to his zoo at Neverland, and we’re sampling these doggone wild animals, and one of these animals tried to get out of the cage on us. But that’s another story to tell! But all this stuff, it’s because it’s just so much friction, and people just don’t understand, the family, everyone needs to keep this legacy going. Everyone always says “Elvis is still alive!” Well, you’re killing Michael, and he’s already dead!!
Host: Let me ask you this question: what’s your take on the fuss over Michael Jackson when he was alive, and the fuss over him now that he’s gone? I’m disgusted by it personally.
Teddy Riley: I’m disgusted by both, while he was alive, and now you’re trying to step on him while he’s dead!
Host: This man single handedly made some of the biggest records in music, and I understand what the industry is, everybody wants something from you, of course, but with Michael it just seemed to be blatantly disgusting in how people were just obviously out to get him.
Teddy Riley: There are some things that I really, really want to say, but I can’t say it because tomorrow is the day that I have to let you guys know that all of this is going on, and it’s all about money.
Host: And there’s so much of it!
Teddy Riley: And the thing about it is, everyone is in it for the wrong reasons! Their intentions are wrong.
Host: Teddy, I have a question: when you were going back and recreating this, and putting it together, how did you feel emotionally, hearing Michael’s vocals, and having to do it at this particular time, without him being in the studio with you? How did that feel?
Teddy Riley: Listen, I did everything under the sun. I cried. I sat. I would come in one day, and said “The only thing that would make me feel that Michael is here with me….”, and I called his photographer, who is now my photographer, his name is Harrison Funk. Harrison Funk did, I would say, 80% of all of the pictures that you’ve ever seen of Michael. And I asked him to come in and bring all of the pictures that he has of Michael, and I had pictures of him around the whole studio. What you’ll probably see in all the videos I’ve done, if we do a documentary on it, you’ll pictures of Michael in the studio, all over the studio, so that I could feel like he’s a room with me. That was the only thing to keep me sane, and not go crazy while I’m working on this music. Because, you know, it would come out on the music if you hear me banging on the keyboards with tears coming out of my eyes.
Host: I could imagine! I just have one more question: when this whole thing went down, and I thought about the drug abuse, and just everything, and the reasons why he’s not here, and what not, it really kind of made me mad, and me having brothers that were drug abusers as well. I know I sort of did everything I could to prevent it from happening. Do you feel like everything was done to prevent this or get him help? I just felt like no one was there, you know? You start off, you have your family around you, and then somehow you sort of lose touch. And I remember hearing Janet saying she didn’t talk to her brother in a year, and I’m thinking “I could never not talk to my brother in a whole year!” How does that happen?
Teddy Riley: But that’s happens. Michael has been really so out of touch with certain people, and I’ll say what is true about him: if someone knew about certain things that he would do that were against him, that he shouldn’t be doing, he... would exit them, and that’s the reason why I was more of a friend that would stay around him so he wouldn’t do it around me. He would not do it around his friends, or he wouldn’t do it around family. As much as we would stay around, he doesn’t mind the company, because he loves company. See, as long as a friend is around, he would not do it. He would stay there and take the pain because he was in a lot of pain. That pain from his skin disorder, and there was so much going on with Michael, where he was in a lot of pain, that he felt like he had to do the drugs. But if somebody was around, he wouldn’t exit them, he would just stay, he would not do what he had to do.
Host: He would make the sacrifice of not doing…………
Teddy Riley: He would make the sacrifice. There you go.
Host: I have one last question: Do you think conspiracy, or non-conspiracy?
Teddy Riley: Definitely conspiracy!
Host: There it is! Let’s flush it out a little more! What do you mean by that?
Teddy Riley: I’ll have to say it like this: it’s been a conspiracy from……….I can’t directly say it…………I signed a Non-Disclosure on what I could not say, but understand that there’s been a conspiracy from A to Z! Because there are people who are doing this for the good, because they’re doing it for the good of the children. And there are people who are stopping it because they feel the good of the children is not in their best interest.
Host: Do you think his death was a conspiracy too?
Teddy Riley: Oh god……..
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10712018
Legendary producer Teddy Riley called into “The Gyantunplugged Show” last night to discuss all the drama surrounding the new Michael Jackson theater. If you didn’t know Sony/Epic is releasing a brand new CD, which the Jackson family is alluding is fake. Teddy calls into clear up the air on the controversy, as well drop some bombs about his services not being paid for. Riley talks about production on the new album, as well as the greedy people behind the scenes. Listen to Teddy Riley @ the 129 min mark, or [1:33] http://gyantunplugged.com/exclusive/exclusive-teddy-riley-talks-about-michael-jackson-drama-over-alleged-fuax-music-plus-discusses-the-greedy-people-out-for-mjs/
Dialogue transcribed by David Edwards
Host: What started this whole situation is that a new Michael Jackson album is going to be coming to stores in t...he fourth quarter by Sony/Epic, and the Jackson family has come out publicly and said that these tracks are fake, they are in fact not Michael Jackson songs, and…………….. So I was like “Let’s call Teddy and ask Teddy, because he might know!”
Teddy Riley: This is my first interview about this record. Take everything that I’m saying seriously. For so long, there has been a lot of bickering over my friend. And I am a true friend to Michael Jackson. I came on this project, and this record (“Breaking News”) is coming out tomorrow. I still haven’t gotten paid for this project.
Host: WHAT??!!!
Teddy Riley: Because I did it for Michael Jackson! Not Sony, and not the family! OK? I don’t want to put anybody on Front Street, but just understand what I’m saying and you can all read between the lines. (Note: To put somebody on “Front Street” means to “call someone out or put them in an embarrassing position”.) Everyone, including who we’re talking about, is bickering and fighting over Michael. It’s unimportant. What’s important is keeping his legacy going. These vocals are Michael Jackson. All of the people who’ve really been in the studio with Michael for 20 years, all the professionals, and a musicologist, went in, and they all say it’s Michael, including me. We’ve worked with Michael. We’ve been in the studio with Michael. There’s been times when Michael didn’t want to be around either family or friends. Read between the lines. None of them have been in the studio with Michael in 25 years. None of them! Exclude Sony. Let’s go to all the people who stayed with Michael, like Michael Prince, who’s Michael’s right arm. Like Brad Buxter, the guy who always records Michael. All of these people know Michael’s voice. On this album, I’m called “the Finisher” because I’m always called at the end of Michael’s projects. Michael always called me at the end. “Invincible”, I was called at the end. “HIStory”, I was called at the end. And including “Dangerous”, I was called at the end, and wound up taking at least 40%, 50% of the album.
Host: Which is true, because I remember you told me, you were like “Nate, I’m gonna call you at the end, because Michael calls me at the end so we can work on a record.”
Teddy Riley: I’m called at the end of every project, and they called at the end of this project because they couldn’t really distinguish what’s going on. Because all of the producers, well, some of the producers on this project never really worked with Michael, so they couldn’t really figure it out. Basically, what they were doing was just remixes. They weren’t really figuring out like “This is what Michael would really want.” So when you hear this record, and you hear the records that I’ve worked on, all of a sudden it’s my records that are being scrutinized. It is Michael. And the person who is really trying to screw this all up, his initials are J.M. We know who J.M. is. He’s stirring it up because he challenged me on this record. He mixed the same records. Now this is the guy who is the head of the estate. And he challenged me because I worked in the studio and I said “I can’t work in here. I’m not comfortable.” And when I left the studio, he assigned another producer to mix the same songs that I was working on, and my songs beat him. Now all of a sudden “it’s not Michael’s voice.” Why? Because his songs did not make it.
Teddy Riley: Yes, it is! And the thing about it is, they will lose! Let’s go to court! Let’s really put it on Front Street. The whole family, the estate, everything will be on Front Street, a...nd then all the truth will come out, and then you’ll see who’s right and who’s wrong. It’s been going on for so long. Michael is the greatest entertainer, the greatest person in the whole, wide world. Why would you want to do that to your own family? Let the legacy live!
Host: What is your take in the album being released at all? Because there’s some controversy in that, almost.
Teddy Riley: My take on it is its keeping the legacy going! How are we going to keep Michael Jackson the greatest when he has so many things, like — he has records for days! (Note: “for days” means “the possession of a large quantity of something that will last a prolonged period of time”.) He has about, what I’d say, what I heard with my own ears, is at least 50 records. Now a lot of them, all he would do is go in and do the first verse, and the chorus, and he would not do a second verse. It’s just to get the idea down. So the next album that’s coming, and I don’t want to say too much, but the next album that’s coming is a duet album that’s going to be with a lot of great artists, because he only did first verses.
Host: Please tell me that Nikki Minaj won’t be on this project! Or Drake! (Note: they are two up and coming hip-hop artists.)
Teddy Riley: No, like I said, it will be great artists, and artists that have substance. Artists that are very, very creative but great. Anybody from that camp. It will probably be, maybe be Lil’ Wayne or Drake if they keep their substance going.
Host: That’d be crazy Michael Jackson featuring Lil’ Wayne! That would be crazy!
Teddy Riley: It’s gotta be really, really — and I’m gonna be a part of that because of my contributions, even to this record. My contributions to this record is not for Sony, it’s not for anyone! It’s for Michael! The proof is in the pudding. I haven’t even gotten a contract.
Teddy Riley: I haven’t even gotten a contract.
Host: And they are releasing it tomorrow? So how are you going to handle this?
Teddy Riley: They’re streaming it tomorrow, and people will tell you, I came on this project because of Michael. Not anyone else. So when you tell me, and this is what this gentleman told me, “Come on this project, I got you, don’t worry about it, dada - dada - da”, it was for him to put his name on my records with me. He wanted some production credit!
Host: So I take it you have your attorneys on it ready for tomorrow?
Teddy Riley: No question! My attorney is the greatest attorney in Atlanta. He’s got his own street. He’s got his own boulevard. So of course I’m not worried about anything! He’s the best guy. So I’m not worried about that. All I’m worried about is my friend having a great album. So what I did is, I started the first song. And when I started the first song, they thought I was going to be like all of the other producers, taking about 5 days, or 6 days. No, I took 5 hours, and finished the first song. So when I finished the first song, they thought I was just going to come on and do one song, because a lot of those producers, they spent months on one song. Me, I came in and did it in 5 hours, because I knew! I had sounds that Michael made us go and sample. He made us go — that was his thing, he was about sounds. So made us go out in the wilderness, and sample the lions, and his zoo, and all of this stuff we had to do. Like back in the day when they had these stereo DAT players, he made us go out there and take our DAT players. He bought it for a purpose for us; To go out and sample sounds! We went out to his zoo at Neverland, and we’re sampling these doggone wild animals, and one of these animals tried to get out of the cage on us. But that’s another story to tell! But all this stuff, it’s because it’s just so much friction, and people just don’t understand, the family, everyone needs to keep this legacy going. Everyone always says “Elvis is still alive!” Well, you’re killing Michael, and he’s already dead!!
Host: Let me ask you this question: what’s your take on the fuss over Michael Jackson when he was alive, and the fuss over him now that he’s gone? I’m disgusted by it personally.
Teddy Riley: I’m disgusted by both, while he was alive, and now you’re trying to step on him while he’s dead!
Host: This man single handedly made some of the biggest records in music, and I understand what the industry is, everybody wants something from you, of course, but with Michael it just seemed to be blatantly disgusting in how people were just obviously out to get him.
Teddy Riley: There are some things that I really, really want to say, but I can’t say it because tomorrow is the day that I have to let you guys know that all of this is going on, and it’s all about money.
Host: And there’s so much of it!
Teddy Riley: And the thing about it is, everyone is in it for the wrong reasons! Their intentions are wrong.
Host: Teddy, I have a question: when you were going back and recreating this, and putting it together, how did you feel emotionally, hearing Michael’s vocals, and having to do it at this particular time, without him being in the studio with you? How did that feel?
Teddy Riley: Listen, I did everything under the sun. I cried. I sat. I would come in one day, and said “The only thing that would make me feel that Michael is here with me….”, and I called his photographer, who is now my photographer, his name is Harrison Funk. Harrison Funk did, I would say, 80% of all of the pictures that you’ve ever seen of Michael. And I asked him to come in and bring all of the pictures that he has of Michael, and I had pictures of him around the whole studio. What you’ll probably see in all the videos I’ve done, if we do a documentary on it, you’ll pictures of Michael in the studio, all over the studio, so that I could feel like he’s a room with me. That was the only thing to keep me sane, and not go crazy while I’m working on this music. Because, you know, it would come out on the music if you hear me banging on the keyboards with tears coming out of my eyes.
Host: I could imagine! I just have one more question: when this whole thing went down, and I thought about the drug abuse, and just everything, and the reasons why he’s not here, and what not, it really kind of made me mad, and me having brothers that were drug abusers as well. I know I sort of did everything I could to prevent it from happening. Do you feel like everything was done to prevent this or get him help? I just felt like no one was there, you know? You start off, you have your family around you, and then somehow you sort of lose touch. And I remember hearing Janet saying she didn’t talk to her brother in a year, and I’m thinking “I could never not talk to my brother in a whole year!” How does that happen?
Teddy Riley: But that’s happens. Michael has been really so out of touch with certain people, and I’ll say what is true about him: if someone knew about certain things that he would do that were against him, that he shouldn’t be doing, he... would exit them, and that’s the reason why I was more of a friend that would stay around him so he wouldn’t do it around me. He would not do it around his friends, or he wouldn’t do it around family. As much as we would stay around, he doesn’t mind the company, because he loves company. See, as long as a friend is around, he would not do it. He would stay there and take the pain because he was in a lot of pain. That pain from his skin disorder, and there was so much going on with Michael, where he was in a lot of pain, that he felt like he had to do the drugs. But if somebody was around, he wouldn’t exit them, he would just stay, he would not do what he had to do.
Host: He would make the sacrifice of not doing…………
Teddy Riley: He would make the sacrifice. There you go.
Host: I have one last question: Do you think conspiracy, or non-conspiracy?
Teddy Riley: Definitely conspiracy!
Host: There it is! Let’s flush it out a little more! What do you mean by that?
Teddy Riley: I’ll have to say it like this: it’s been a conspiracy from……….I can’t directly say it…………I signed a Non-Disclosure on what I could not say, but understand that there’s been a conspiracy from A to Z! Because there are people who are doing this for the good, because they’re doing it for the good of the children. And there are people who are stopping it because they feel the good of the children is not in their best interest.
Host: Do you think his death was a conspiracy too?
Teddy Riley: Oh god……..
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/10712018