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Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones Pass 'We Are The World' Torch To Their Famous Daughters

Posted 2/4/10 3:53 pm EST by in Music


Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones made sure when they recorded the 25th anniversary edition of "We Are the World" for Haiti on Monday that it was a family affair. Quincy Jones was represented by his daughter, "Parks and Recreation" star Rashida Jones, while Richie's family was on hand thanks to his daughter, Nicole, and the Madden brothers, Nicole's husband, Joel, and his brother Benji.

And as hard as it is for him to realize, it was time for Richie to step back and let the new generation of stars have their turn on the hit. "The toughest thing is, you want to jump in," he said. "But then you must realize: 'Pass the torch. This is another generation.' "

Quincy Jones said it made sense to include their families in the remake because they were so tight with song co-writer Michael Jackson. "My God, are you kidding?" Jones said. "My daughters were some of Michael's closest friends."

"Same with Nicole," Lionel added. "I mean, Michael was the godfather to Nicole, so the joke is, now there's Nicole holding her child onstage. It's kind of surreal. If you want the truth about it, 25 years, it went that fast."

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Who Should Star In The 'We Are The World' Remake?

Posted 1/29/10 10:00 am EST by in Music


The Grammy Awards go down in Los Angeles this Sunday, January 31, but the biggest musical event of the next few days could actually come the day after. That's when Quincy Jones will be recording a new version of "We Are the World" that will be released as a charity single to benefit earthquake survivors in Haiti.

Jones is teaming up with Lionel Richie to organize the event, with "Crash" director Paul Haggis filming the session. A handful of singers are already attached to it (including Usher and John Legend), but the rest of the musicians who will show up to lend a hand (and a voice) have yet to be named officially. The original version of the song, recorded 25 years ago by an all-star lineup in support of relief in Africa, featured a veritable murderer's row of talent (along with a handful of "Oh yeah, that guy" entries). So let's take a look at some of those original members of USA for Africa and see if we can't figure out who their 2010 equivalents are.

Lionel Richie
2010 Equivalent: Lionel Richie. The dude is helping to produce the thing, after all. It's doubtful he'd pass up an opportunity to sing on two of the biggest

Paul Simon
2010 Equivalent: Dave Matthews. The DMB frontman can provide Simon's mix of folk, rock and world music with a little extra grit in the sugar.

Billy Joel
2010 Equivalent: Elton John. The former Joel touring partner missed out on the first "We Are the World." Since every charity single needs a piano man, John is perfect for the job, as Ben Folds seems a bit too acerbic for the gig.

Michael Jackson
2010 Equivalent: Justin Timberlake. The heir to Jackson's throne as America's greatest entertainment export should be front and center. However, it should be noted that Jackson supposedly recorded parts for "We Are the World" in preparation for his "This Is It" concerts, so the 2010 version of Michael Jackson could very well be Michael Jackson.

Tina Turner
2010 Equivalent: Rihanna. The Barbados-born diva has already lent her voice to the "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon (as have many people on this list), but she could not only provide some memorable melody but also a touch of Caribbean flavor.
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How I Met Quincy Jones And Prince In The Same Week

Posted 6/11/09 1:14 pm EST by in Music



This week I got to meet two of my biggest musical idols. I value each of them for different reasons, but both have been incredibly instrumental in shaping how I listen to music.

I was at a club on Saturday night celebrating a birthday party. As I was sitting talking to a friend, I saw a group of five walk up to us. I've been around enough to recognise a security team when I see one, but this time they were a little more difficult to spot. Especially here in the States, bodyguards tend to be these giant hulking mountains of men with no necks who you can spot a mile away. The visual-intimidation factor of bodyguards is the first line of defense, after all. But this time, these two guys dressed all in black were a little different. They were ... short. No taller than 5-foot-4. Don't get me wrong, they were both as wide as a bus — but boy, were they short! Finally, I saw their boss.

Standing at 5-foot-3 (in high heels, no less) was one of the biggest names in music: Prince.

I was amazed at how young the 51-year-old Prince looked. Whatever his secret — whether it's his diet, sex life, no smoking, bathing in milk, whatever — Prince is doing something right. No word of a lie: Prince looks the same as he does in Purple Rain. I was stunned and left with many questions. I wonder if he clones himself to stay forever young? I wonder if he purposely hires bodyguards who make him look tall? Am I heightist? Is that even a word? I'll ask him next time.

A few days later I was invited to a lunch with His Royal Highness Prince Edward of England, who gave a speech to various business types, philanthropists, investors and me. But HRH wasn't the only royal in the room, as one of the guests was king of producers Quincy Jones.

There isn't enough room on this blog to talk about all the great work the man has done in sculpting the world of music, but one thing is for sure: The guy is one very cool cat. Jones worked the room like it was his first, giving everybody a hello handshake, never tiring of meeting new people. When he came to me, he asked, "So ... who are you?" Taking it as an invitation, I told him ... everything! And you know what? He listened to every word and gave me advice that I will never forget. Want to know what it was?

You'll have to ask Quincy next time you see him.

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Kid Cudi On Kanye West: 'He's Like My Quincy Jones, And I'm The Michael Jackson'

Posted 4/1/09 6:21 pm EST by in Kanye West, Kid Cudi


Kid Cudi
By Steven Roberts

Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label runs the gamut from well-known MCs like Common to lesser-known artists like Consequence, Big Sean and GLC. Now, Kid Cudi is emerging in the mainstream — with his hit song "Day 'N' Nite" and appearances at mtvU Spring Break and South by Southwest — and it looks like the future of Kanye's label is in good hands.

"My job is to make not only myself look good, but to make 'Ye look good," Cudi said. "I tell him all the time: 'Don't worry, I got you. I'm going to make you look better than what you look right now.' "

The Ohio MC said he and West are building toward the future. "He's like my Quincy Jones, and I'm the Michael Jackson," Kid said. "Eventually, I want to be the Quincy Jones and find my Michael Jackson. It's a circle, the circle of life, circle of music, circle of good things."

Cudi said he was invited to Hawaii to record tracks for West's 808s & Heartbreak, and Kanye rewarded him with a chain. Cudi was grateful, and he texted West to thank him. "I definitely told him that I appreciated him more than he knew and just to say 'thank you.' He hit me back, like, 'Man, you inspire me too,' " Cudi recalled, saying he was shocked by his response.

Kid said West thanked him for the future of G.O.O.D. Music: "When he told me that I inspired him on his project, and he's thanking me for adding years to the brand of G.O.O.D. Music, that's just so crazy."

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