MICHAEL JACKSON / “J Period MJ Tribute”

My man J. Period is on the case once again, actually I don’t think he ever climbs down out of the saddle. He’s a DJ/producer who is always up to something significant, plus, my man, has mad skillz and all kinds of access to interesting odds and ends. When all those attributes are skillfully mixed together the results inevitably is a delightful dish with special sauce. And this MJ Tribute is no different.

Michael Jackson is near universally considered the "King of Pop.” He’s sold more records than any other individual—and, at one point, even owned The Beatles catalogue. No other artist or entertainer is even close to his commercial accomplishments. Additionally, due in part to starting out professionally as a pre-teen, Michael had a longer active recording career than any of his peers and nearly all of his predecessors.

Even if you are only an ordinary music fan, this Mixtape belongs in your collection. For those who hold MJ near and dear, this tribute tape is essential. On behalf of music fans worldwide, I say: thank you J. Period.

Here is the text of the press release announcing this Mixtape:

J.PERIOD & SPIKE LEE PAY TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL JACKSON WITH EXCLUSIVE NEW MIXTAPE, "MAN OR THE MUSIC (40 ACRES EDITION)"

Brooklyn, NY (August 26, 2010) – The story of Michael Jackson made famous in tabloid headlines tells a tragic tale of stardom: adulation and perversity, reclusiveness and rumor, pain and pathos. Raised onstage from the age of 11, Michael spent his entire life under the scrutiny of the spotlight—and much of his adulthood in search of the childhood he never had. For the media, this was a story of sadness, as epic as it was bizarre.

But listen closer. His music tells a different tale.

This Sunday, August 29, 2010, the mixtape world’s master storyteller, J.Period, joins Spike Lee & 40Acres.com to pay tribute to the music of Michael Jackson with a Limited Edition mixtape, “Man or the Music (40 Acres Edition),” available exclusively at the 2nd Annual “Brooklyn Loves MJ” celebration in Prospect Park’s Nethermead Field! Attendees who sign up for 40Acres.com will receive a FREE copy of the mix (while supplies last). For MJ fans unable to attend: DOWNLOAD HERE

Mixing Michael’s classic hits with rare demo versions, remixes, and behind-the-scenes interview clips, J.Period weaves together an 80-minute musical documentary that pays tribute to The King of Pop’s staggering catalog of songs, and reminds us why Michael’s true legacy will always be his music. Conceived on the eve of Michael’s untimely passing, “Man or The Music (40 Acres Edition)” revises, remixes and re-masters J.Period’s original MJ tribute, released on June 26, 2009 to rave reviews—and over 30K downloads in 24 hours. “Man or the Music (40 Acres Edition)” reminds us why—regardless of what you may think of the man—the power and appeal of his music are undeniable.

“It is a tremendous honor to join a storyteller like Spike Lee in celebrating the legacy of Michael Jackson’s music with an exclusive mixtape for this incredible event,” says J.Period. “Crafting the tape was a labor of love and a learning experience. Digging through hours of interview material and music, I have definitely gained a new respect for Michael’s life and legacy, and I’m excited to share that with my fans—and over 25K fellow MJ fans in attendance on Sunday!”

Not long after Michael’s passing last year, Spike Lee shared his thoughts with Katie Couric: “You can go down the line, [Mozart], Jimmy Hendrix, Elvis—people with that much talent, they’re not going to be normal. […] If they were normal human beings, they wouldn’t be the great artists that they are. […] But for me, I hope people remember the joy, the love, the entertainment that Michael brought to their lives. That’s going to be his legacy. People can focus on the other stuff if the want to, but for me, [his legacy is] his music. It’s his music.”

In only its second year, Spike Lee’s “Brooklyn Loves MJ” event is already poised to become a long-standing tradition—and one of New York’s hottest annual events. Celebrating Michael’s birthday with over 25K fans in 2009, Spike Lee (along with DJ Spinna on the wheels of steel) made Prospect Park the epicenter of all things Michael with a six-hour celebration of music and dancing that earned press, and praise, from around the globe.

This year, celebrate The King of Pop’s 52nd birthday when “Brooklyn Loves MJ” takes place Sunday, August 29th, 12 Noon - 6PM at Prospect Park’s Nethermead Field. This event is brought to you by Spike Lee, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Spike DDB & the Republic of Brooklyn, and features exclusive artwork by acclaimed graphic artist, Fuse Green, as well as music by DJ Spinna.

J.Period’s “Man or the Music (40 Acres Edition)”: FREE DOWNLOAD

And be sure to watch out for upcoming J.Period releases with John Legend & The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff & Skillz, Q-Tip and more coming soon!!

Let me hit the pause button a second: This Mixtape is available as a free download on J. Period’s website. Why free? Well, mainly because copyright restrictions prevent J. Period selling the Mixtape—whether the restraints against sampling and mixing is fair or righteous is not the practical question. Selling such stuff is illegal and the industry got hound-dog lawyers who work 24/7 to stop ‘illegal’ activity.

Regardless of how much work J. Period or any other DJ might put into a project, the law is against them. So the only way around the legality issues is to give away the material for free. I remember an issue with a Miles Davis outdoor concert in Atlanta. I happened to be in the backstage area when the conflict came to a head.

This was in the late eighties and someone was in the audience, right down front with a portable dat digital recorder and a professional boom mic, set up to record the concert that was being held in a public park. Miles’ management demanded that the guy cease and desist or Miles wouldn’t perform. The guy was not unimpressed and undaunted by their threats to have him arrested and/or removed from the park. The bootlegger not only stood his ground, he argued back at them citing the ins and outs, ups and downs of the law.

The back and forth got a bit heated and city police were summoned in addition to the park security. The upshot of the whole incident was that the guy did record the concert (at one point as they threat to arrest him was nullified when the police checked with their office because the guy threatened not only to sue them but also threatened to make a bunch of digital copies and give them away if the authorities did anything at all to deter him).
 
So, back to J. Period, my man is giving away his work and thankfully there’s no stopping him. This tribute tape is a follow-up to his previous MJ Mixtape, which I thought was the best of a slew of Mixtape tributes, and this one is better than the preceding one.

I don’t know the provenance of all those demo-tapes and behind-the-scene sound snippets, nor do I know how J. Period collects and catalogues all the radio interviews and airplay samples, but I do know that the extensive and adroit interplay of all those diverse elements produces a Mixtape of unparalleled interest.

Companies approach J. Period to hire him to put together Mixtapes, which is ironic when you consider that not to long ago some of those same companies were trying to extinguish Mixtape production. My how things change when you need the help of someone you tried to crush.

So, yall got the picture. I don’t have to say anymore, except ENJOY!

—Kalamu ya Salaam

And, oh yeah, go here to download your own copy of the 42-track, J. Period MJ Tribute Mixtape.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 30th, 2010 at 1:04 am and is filed under Cover. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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