Rodney Jerkins: Michael Jackson Thought Pharrell’s Music Sounded Too Generic On Failed Collab Attempt

Rodney Jerkins: Michael Jackson Thought Pharrell’s Music Sounded Generic On Failed Collaboration:

Super producer Rodney Jerkins sat down on Okay Player’s, ‘The Almanac Of Rap Show’ with Donwill, this week to discuss his experiences working with various musical greats, including Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, and most notably, Michael Jackson. During his conversation, the host asked if there was any truth to rumors that the music Pharrell Williams and his production team, the Neptunes, made that was given to pop star Justin Timberlake for his album ‘Justified’ was initially meant for Michael Jackson. Jerkins, the producer of Jackson’s last solo album “Invincible,’ confirmed the rumors were true.

Credit: The Almanac Of Rap Show With Donwill

Michael Jackson Didn’t Do Generic

Clarifying, Pharrell allegedly sent him the music demos to play for Michael Jackson in hopes of working with him. However, Jerkins said Jackson thought Pharrell’s music demo sounded too generic. Subsequently, turning down Pharrell and the Neptunes’ hopes of collaborating with him.

Rodney Jerkins recalls, “Pharrell called me up and said, yo, you really work with Michael? I said, yeah bro, I work with Michael. Yo, yo, please. Can I give you a CD? I said, yeah, I got you. He gave me the CD. I gave Mike the CD to listen to. I’m the one who gave it to Michael to listen to.

The host Donwill then asks, “What did Michael say? Like, what did he say when he heard it?”

Jerkins continues, “He felt it (Pharrell’ music) was too generic at the time.

He further elaborates, “When I say the word ‘generic’, Michael, what made Mike tick is when he hears sounds that no one else uses. Yeah. I had to learn that. Right? Because he used that same phrase even with me. Like, I would think it was the hottest journey, but that’s too generic. And then as I start to work with him, I’m like, OK. So the normal bass sound that I would use, I need to take and sample a motorcycle, revving up and incorporating that into the bass somehow. And then he’s like this. Then it becomes interesting to him. Yeah.”

Pharrell’s Side Of The Story:

Pharrell told his side of this story on another podcast previously saying MJ denied his music, however there was no clarification as to why until now. Pharrell stated on the podcast, ” The meeting was supposed to be for us to meet, to talk about music. Now remember the songs he turned down, I don’t think he realized that I was going to give those songs to Justin. I’m going back in time for a second. So we’re in the studio with Justin, and they were like, listen, you had a phone call on line one.”

Williams also recounts, “I’m like, yeah, what is it? That’s Michael Jackson. I’m like, man, get out of here. And I’m thinking like, you know, one of my friends calling from Virginia trying to be funny. They were like, listen, please pick up the phone. It’s Michael Jackson. I’m like, man, hello. I’m thinking it’s my friend. And I heard someone eating popcorn in my ear, and that’s how I knew it was him. He’s just the king. He’s just the king of trolling the king. Like, I think he invented it. So he’s like, hey.

Pharrell details, “He’s like, how are you? What are you doing? OK. You working with Justin? Oh, that’s really nice. That’s great. OK, cool. All right. Cool. Well, you guys have a great session. Tell Justin I said hello. Hangs up. And Justin was like, who is that? Michael? I’m like, yeah. I was like, how did you know? He’s like, yeah, man, he does that.”

So collectively, we can thank Michael Jackson for Justin Timberlake having a successful solo album. Interesting! Share your thoughts on this news below in the comments and this article! Watch Rodney Jerkins full interview below! Enjoyed this article? Click here to sign up for a free subscription for the latest music reviews and news in urban culture on our site.