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Artist News
Jackson family hits out at Quincy Jones’ song-theft claims
By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 19 February 2018
Legendary record producer Quincy Jones dissed a whole load of pop stars in recent media interviews. Not least one of his most famous collaborators, Michael Jackson. Turns out, the Jackson family didn’t think that was very funny.
Jackson “stole a lot of songs”, reckoned Jones. Why? Because he was “greedy, man… greedy”. In particular Jones claimed Jackson borrowed from the Donna Summer record ‘State Of Independence’ for his hit ‘Billie Jean’. Those were remarks that saw the former song enjoy a spike in streams as people went to check out the similarities.
Needless to say, Jackson’s family are not impressed by the comments. While one family member reportedly speculated the producer might “have the first stages of dementia”, the late king of pop’s father was keen to point out that Jones produced both ‘State Of Independence’ and ‘Billie Jean’.
Speaking to the New York Post, Joe Jackson stated: “He says my son stole it, but he was the producer on both [tracks], so if anybody is [in the] wrong it would be Quincy”. Although, he added, he didn’t believe any part of his son’s hit was, in fact, lifted from another record.
Of course, there being conflict between Jones and the Jackson family isn’t new. Just last year the producer won $9.4 million in a legal battle with the Michael Jackson Estate over unpaid royalties in relation to the hits Jones produced for Jackson. There was also feuding between Jones and Jackson himself from as early as the 1980s, when the latter was on his creative high.
