grey album
25 02 2004Jay-Z released an a capella version of his Black Album to make remixes easier, and the The Grey Album is the best one I’ve heard.
DJ Danger Mouse melding the vocal tracks of Jay-Z’s Black Album with samples of the Beatles’ White Album = true genius. Check out the latest news at greytuesday.org.
You want the grey album? Click here for free downloads. And, yes, pass it on.
Yo, first comment
rap..ick.
I’d support this project if Danger Mouse would have actually licensed the songs. How would you like it if someone ripped your design, used it to make a ton of money, and never asked you?
I guess people don’t think like this anymore. What DJDM did is illegal.
This isn’t about whether you like rap or not. The reason why nytimes and washington post are covering this specific album is because of the companies sueing over it. I’m not sharing free music because I’m trying to rip off JayZ; I’m doing it to convey something bigger.
who the hell is dj danger mouse anyway, i think this stuff is cool
No…you’re not ripping off Jay-z. He’s cool with it. You are ripping off the Beatles.
The companies are suing for it, and they will WIN, b/c sampling is one thing, and ripping an entire album is another. If DJDM would have licensed these songs, it wouldn’t be a problem, but he didn’t.
Some will say it was too expensive to license, and it probably is, but does that mean you can go to Best Buy and steal a 21" LCD monitor b/c you wanna use it can’t afford it? That’s not an argument.
Oh yeah, forgot to ask…what is this "something bigger" you are trying to "convey"?
Who cares! It’s just music.
go to greytuesday.org for the reason why people are posting this music
I’m sorry, but Downhill Battle has no idea what they are talking about. EMI is not "censoring" anybody. EMI owns the copyrights to the songs! They can have the final say in who can use them.
So basically you are saying that whoever wants to "sample" a song should just be able to do it, then make money at it. Fuck the people that wrote the song. They made their money right? It’s the Beatles, right?
Ok…what if it’s not the Beatles and it’s some up-and-coming songwriter? Eventually, if your theory works…songs aren’t gonna be worth anything. So why write them? You can’t make money with them now.
I didn’t read all of your comments, but aren’t you a little biased Mr. Singer/Songwriter?
Hell yeah, I am biased. Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?
Look, I’m not some huge RIAA fanboy. There’s a million things I hate about them, and the music industry as a whole, but some things need to stay the same. This is one of them for me. Songwriters have to be able to protect their songs. No… songwriters aren’t gonna stop writing if they can’t make money at it; myself–I’ll write b/c I like writing. But, situations like this (if they ever become allowed) are going to make it difficult to make a living doing it.
I’ve gotta run, so I’m not gonna keep arguing here. Later.
Doesn’t Michael Jackson own the rights to most of the Beatle’s songs? If it’s true, then it is an atrocity. We’re stealing money from MJ, and how will he be able to afford to keep his Neverland Day Care Center.
aargh go away with this thrash!!!! this isn’t music!!!!
damn maybe I’m getting old.
but I think its weird when 12 year old girls and 12 year old guys do the dry doggy style fucking dancing to these songs. Dunno how they call this these days, guess they call it dancing….
*yawn*
I downlaoded all the songs and just burned it to a CD. It’s beautiful. It actually works. It may not be right that he used Beatles beats without permission, but you’ve got to admit it sounds good.
Heard em. Overrated.
Theres no way in hell any music sopyright supporters are going to win this copyright war. Either all music is gonna be free online with an option to donate or these guys are going to be fighting an endless battle. And no I’m not worried about musicians going broke, guess i’ll have to deal with the fact their 20 foot water fountains can’t be COMPLETELY gold plated.
Michael –
I’ve only listened to 2 of your songs so far, but I really like them. What I find interesting about your stance is that your site has the tracks from your CD available for download, but I don’t see a link anywhere to actually buy a CD.
While I concede to a techical moral agreement with your position, I must admit I don’t lose a lot of sleep over downloading songs from multi-millionaires.
The little guys, however, I understand. When a musician is depending on income from record sales in order to be able to eat, I think it’s only fair to buy the album if you enjoy the music.
I understand this is an enormous gray area I’m creating, and some might object to me trying to establish what is "acceptable" stealing. How successful should the artist be before it’s okay to illegally download?
Mp3s will not bring the music industry to its knees any more than the ability to dub tapes did.
The technology exists, and people aren’t likely to forget about it. The music industry is going to need to adapt, like it or not. I have no doubt they’ll find a way. Wherever there’s money to be made, they’ll find it.
The thing that makes this so stupid is the fact that it ia a mixture of easily the most influential band of the 20th century and some stupid rapper that at least in my book, has no influence over anyone except his fans. It’s pathetic, really.
Amy.
Based on your logic, it’s ok to steal, as long as the ones you’re stealing from are rich.
I will say this though. The entire music "business-model" needs to change. Personally, I at least 120 cd’s which I only bought because I liked 1 or 2 singles, and the rest is crappy "filler-material".
Shame on the artists for going along with this. And trust me, they know. Afterall, they ALWAYS know which songs are worthy of being singles, and which aren’t… so this isn’t based on ignorance.
More importantly, shame on the record companies. I believe from a $15.99 cd the artist is lucky to get a $1 for their efforts, out of which they have to re-imburse the record company for all expenses (ie. music video, promotion, advances, etc).
Personally, I think all music should be either sold on a per song basis, or be free, and serve as a "mini-commercial", to see the artist in concert.
Nevertheless, I don’t endorse illegal song sharing.
If you think Jay-Z is some pathetic rapper who doesn’t affect anybody, you’re just plain closed-minded. Just because you don’t like rap music, doesn’t mean you can deny how successful this guy is. The next generation will use his name the way our parents talk about The Beatles. If you think that he is incapable of being influencial just because of his genre of music then YOU are out of date.
g-g-g-g-g-g-unit….
yeah, i know…
Based on your logic, it’s ok to steal, as long as the ones you’re stealing from are rich.
Exactly. It’s good to see you were able to understand for once.
Jay-Z is easily one of the worst rappers ever. He will never be on the same level as emcees like Rakim, KRS-One, or Mos Def.
Stacia’s pretty. See her picture on top of page. I did, she’s pretty. Eh thought I would share that, haha. ok im so lame :O( sigh. She is pretty though.
Jay-Z isn’t one of the worst rappers, there are way worse than him:
Nelly
J-Kwon
Lil’ Jon (though he makes great beats)
Ying Yang Twins
and other rappers with no message just bangers. The Black Album is brillian, The Grey Album is great. But nothing is going to change your opinion, more people need to be more open-minded on music and learn that country is the worst, not rap. A lot of rap takes political stances, they rap about what they know and what they see. The Beatles was a pop band. Granted I haven’t heard many songs I don’t think many were very deep, same can be said about rap music in general, but still…
Of course orchestrated classical music is probably the best ever (there are some great orchestrated pieces).
And believe it or not some people hate the Beatles.
Beatles = Greatest band ever.
Jay Z = See "Generic Rap Song."
Beatles + Jay Z = Why?
Beatles + Jay Z + Some guy with no job and too much time on his hands = crap.
Beatles are for old people. If you like them you are old at heart. If you disagree with me, you are dead inside and it is that death that brings you to disagree. Go lie down, its over, the Beatles are as old as God and are mostly with him now or should be. errr…if there is a God that is.
Obviously Joe’s opinion is worthless.
There is no way you can compare Jay-Z’s influence to that of the Beatles. What has Jay-Z inspired other than a new vocabulary for the nations youth? His music is NOT revolutionary. Maybe he has a few good ideas, but he has not changed music as we know it. Maybe he isn’t one of the worst rappers, but I really don’t think he is one of the best.
check out some artwork realted to the album:
http://www.expressobeans.com/images.php?id=10001
Obviously radish’s opinion is worthless as it actually felt the need to disagree with me, it disagrees with me and is dead inside like I previously mentioned. I’m sorry for you radish, in a different life we could have been friends…hahaha
entire topic = blah
Maybe this topic won’t exist in a few years. One can only hope.
Joe, I think you’re pretty too :)
I hate Jay-Z, however I do respect music as a whole, I believe the work this DJ put into this project should be respected because it isnt that easy to mix beatles with rap so please. And to tall the hip- hop haters fuck you, cuz u lack an open mind. Music is an art which should be respected. And the reason I hate Jay z is because of his lyrics, but I still respect him for doing what he does
What I don’t understand is…..Whats the big fucking deal? All DJ Dangermouse was doing was trying to infuse two genres together. Regardless of who the rapper is, and luckily it was Jay Z, a respected artist in the Hip Hop community. It was his homage to two great artists. I am a huge Hip Hop fan, but I myself would never put Jay Z on the same level as the Beatles. The Beatles were a cultural phemomenon, and people still love them today. Another thing, it’s not like this Dangermouse guy is becoming rich off this record, the CEO of Rocafella Records doesn’t even care (and that’s really strange a Hip Hop Mogul not caring about money). Sorry, about the rambling, but I love music more than life, and to see people bitch, seems like they’re just bitching for the sake of it.
Bottomline, and this IS the bottomline, Michael Jackson owns the entire Beatles songbook. This means he collects all of the royalties from any Beatles songs used anywhere. This makes it completely morally justifyable. Who the hell wants to put dough in that sicko’s pocket. So steal away, God will love you for it.
Bottomline, and this IS the bottomline, Michael Jackson owns the entire Beatles songbook. This means he collects all of the royalties from any Beatles songs used anywhere. This makes it completely morally justifyable. Who the hell wants to put dough in that sicko’s pocket. So steal away, God will love you for it.
Bottomline, and this IS the bottomline, Michael Jackson owns the entire Beatles songbook. This means he collects all of the royalties from any Beatles songs used anywhere. Who the hell wants to put dough in that sicko’s pocket? So steal away, my pretties, God will love you for it.
Bottomline, and this IS the bottomline, Michael Jackson owns the entire Beatles songbook. This means he collects all of the royalties from any Beatles songs used anywhere. Who the hell wants to put dough in that sicko’s pocket? So steal away, my pretties, God will love you for it.
Bottomline, and this IS the bottomline, Michael Jackson owns the entire Beatles songbook. This means he collects all of the royalties from any Beatles songs used anywhere. Who the hell wants to put dough in that sicko’s pocket? So steal away, my pretties, God will love you for it.
Bottomline, and this IS the bottomline, Michael Jackson owns the entire Beatles songbook. This means he collects all of the royalties from any Beatles songs used anywhere. Who the hell wants to put dough in that sicko’s pocket? So steal away, my pretties, God will love you for it.
bligs: entire topic = blah
Word.
Smartestguyhere = Not so much, good work jerkweed!
OFF TOPIC.. again.. but here’s some Tiffany Teen free pics:
http://www2.xfreehosting.com/teen/carolina/200204/09/index.html
Jay-Z = shit.
Beatles = gold.
Mix those? Gold with fucking shit all over it.
Rap is basically the same thing as those old beatnik-coffee-house poets who snap their fingers and really expect you to give a crap what they are babbling about……..For some REAL music, listen to "Love at First Sting" by the Scorpions
fuck the beatles, wheres the rap remix of Danzig. thats the shit we need. MOTHHHHHERRRR!!!!!!!!!
its pretty good, and if your bitchin quit, it was free. FREEBIE ZIP NODDA
great people who don’t listen to rap putting it down.
SmartestGuyHere = DumbestGuyAnywhere
Saying the Grey Album is revolutionary is like calling the Whiskey Rebellion more important than the American Revolution or saying that Creed influenced music more than Nirvana. I believe Aerosmith and Run DMC fused the rock and hip-hop traditions years ago.
Jay Z is not a rap or hip-hop pioneer. He is a successful performer who has influenced acts that have followed him. As a comparision, when you digest food that influences the crap that comes out of your ass. That doesn’t make the food special.
they wouldn’t have let the license go through. Eminem wanted to sample a beatles song, but they got asshurt over it and said no.
What I don’t get is why doesn’t EMI realize the demand for this thing is huge? They could have signed it to a deal and made big money off of this. People would buy this as is, but if it had a deal, it would get cleaned up a bit to sound more professional. Right now, hundreds of thousands of copies were downloaded for FREE.
Michael Jackson only owns the "publishing" end of the Beatles catalog. When a song generates any income (record sales, radio, movies commercial etc) the stream is split between the "publisher" and the "writer". Michael has leveraged his insanely overindulgent lifestyle against his publishing holdings. Its debateable if he even really owns them anymore. Sony certainly holds a fat piece. Lennon and McCartney still recieve all their royaltys through the writers associations like BMI. Paul and Yoko just sit back and let the money pile up. Paul McCartney has endlessly deep pockets. Endlesssss. God Bless Him. But as long as the use is creative there will be no court. It keeps the Beatles music alive… and guess what? For whatever reason people actually BUY Beatle albums in stores. They still out sell MOST new releases by contemporary artists. The record companies spend much time trying to figure out WHY?… THE BEATLES…PINK FLOYD….ZEPPELIN….etc The classics still actually sell retail in BIG numbers. Yes their original fans are older but that cant fully explain the volume of sales. Young people are buying the CDs too.
If anyone sues over royalties it will be Michael Jackson. He likes law suits. And he’s going to need that moolah
And through it all rap fans are going to get a taste of The Fab Four and that can only lead to income streams from a previously untapped market.
Its good to be a Beatle
screw the beatles and screw hiphop… TRIPHOP IS WAAAAAAAAAAY BETTER!!! =)
It’s funny that it took a topic like this for me to voice my opinion. If Justin remembers me, i do have a lot to say, but i hold it in. I’d have to say that Alex and Laszlo are both correct, and they both have great points. It is idotic to say that Jay Z is one of the worst rappers of all time, and i do think that KRS One, Rakim, and Mos Def are great, even though i don’t think Rakim is better than Jay Z. Jay Z is a produced MC that has been given all the opportunities that most rappers haven’t been given (if you listen to his Rhymes, i would give anybody props if they could come up with Tongue Twisters like he does). When it comes to Laszlo he knows the legal perspective and he is correct. I would just like to say that Danger Mouse isn’t making much of a profit off this whole venture and it was an artistic expression. If you don’t agree, that’s cool but seriously, come on. Music is an art, and for the people that think that the Beatles are getting ripped off or that artists as a whole are getting ripped off due to the sharing of their songs need to realize that they are still making enough money that they are living well off. Artists that say that they are being ripped off are only in it for the money. There are many musicians that are willing to share their music over the internet. If you woujld like a list, let me know. But honestly, in the past when Lars of Metallica was bitching to everyone about music sharing, don’t tell me you didn’t want to slap him upside the head and get rid of that damn lisp. All you who don’t agree, please respond. Later.
oh yeah, vhw….i love Trip Hop Too. I like Portishead, Thievery Corporation, and Tricky. Got any recommendations?
sorry, if you like to talk about music come to this site and express your opinions. http://www.hydrophonicsmusic.com I just realized that my link on my name doesn’t work. later.
Ok, so XMMS barfs all over those things-that-claim-to-be-mp3s-but-really-aren’t. One pass through less will confirm that…
Big record companies screw their artists when it comes to money. Its not like the Beatles members would see anything from this anyways. EMI (or Jacko) would reap all of the benefits. I am curious to hear what Paul and Ringo think of this.
Who knows, maybe this will end up selling more Beatles albums. It could turn some of the younger Jay-z fans onto the beatles, who may have never heard them otherwise.
Ok, a lot of things need to be cleared up here because there’s a lot of ignorance going on. First of all, Michael Jackson does NOT own the entire Beatles archives, he only owns the Abbey Road archives, of which the White Album is not a part. Check. Now, in terms of responding to bitchy-whiny Michael…shut up. The RIAA can complain about artists losing money when they make CDs affordable. If Danger Mouse had wanted to license the songs, which by the way, EMI doesn’t allow most of the time, and if they did, they would charge over 50% of profits, as would most other record labels…to combine two records would cost you more than you would make. In response to the person who said KRS, Rakim, and Mos are better than Jay-Z, I agree. Saying he’s one of the worst rappers of all time is idiotic. Ya’ll need to get your facts straight.
hours later… =D
yes kanibus, lots of them: dj shadow (near hiphop), zero 7 (omg, they rock!), hooverphonic (anything from the "a new stereophonic sound spectacular" album and also their cover for "shake the disease"), if you already know tricky, chances are you know massive attack ;), any given song from lamb, also sneaker pimps, laika, nightmares on wax will get you tripping right away and a long, long list of other bands =)
I’ve acknowledged my stupidity. Happy now?
vhw, I editted your comment because you forgot to end your “bold” tag. Yup.