"A lot of our memories in the studio is a lot about work, because he was so focused on trying to get the right material out that we didn't really play around. Like, we talked, but we rarely joked, because at that moment, regardless of what we were doing it's like, 'Lets get serious and really do what we came here to do.' He was never satisfied. Like, we might have passed up ideas that I know for a fact were smashes. He'd be like, 'Nah, nah — we got to come up with something better.' We can never do better 'cause his expectation was so high."
-Singer, producer and songwriter Akon, on working with Michael Jackson in the studio. Akon spent a great deal of time in the studio with Jackson, working on both new songs and "Wanna Be Startin' Something' 2008" (which appeared on the reissue of the 25th anniversary edition of Thriller). Despite the fact that Akon was convinced that the pair had hits on their hands, nothing ever seemed to be good enough for Jackson, a notorious perfectionist. "It was almost to a point where we would have to get a record and I would believe in it and just put it out, 'cause it would never come out 'cause he always believed we could do better," Akon told MTV News. It remains unclear when (or even if) the music that Akon and Jackson created will ever see the light of day, but Akon is certainly proud of the work that he did. "It was all about the melody, because we're both melody guys," he said. "And no matter how incredible the record was, he believed that it could get more incredible."