Quincy Jones & Lionel Richie 'We Are The World' 2010 Larry King Interview

Producer RedOne On 'We Are The World' Involvement L.A. Times Interview

L.A. Times: How did you become involved with the remake?

RedOne: I got a call last minute from Lionel Richie asking me to come up with a track for the song.

L.A. Times: Just like that?

RedOne: Yeah. It was like a dream-come-true kind of phone call, you know? He’s a friend of mine. He’s always been supportive of my music. He’s always given me advice on how to do things. He’s been like a big brother to me. So I got a call from him and Quincy [Jones, who produced the original single] saying I should do a version of this. I did, last minute. I was so nervous. I had nightmares. Thank God I delivered. The next day, we went to play the song for Quincy. There were a few people who tried different versions. But Quincy said, “Your version is by far the best.” So that was pretty nice.

L.A. Times: A huge roster of stars participated.

RedOne: Yeah. We recorded after the Grammys [where RedOne took home two trophies for his work with Lady Gaga], so that helped. All the stars were in town. It was an experience of a lifetime. The funny thing is, a few months ago, me and Lionel were at the same studio and he was telling me all these stories about the original “We Are the World.” About how magical it was … all these huge names in the same room. He was like, “Those things don’t happen every day.” I was listening like a little kid. The next thing you know, I’m experiencing it. … it was like the next generation. To be chosen as the producer from this generation to do it, it was incredible.

L.A. Times: What was the vibe like with so many big stars in one room?

RedOne: It was a nice spirit. This thing isn’t about me as a producer or the artists as artists. It was about helping Haiti. It was like how Quincy said, “Check your egos at the door.” Everybody was helping.

L.A. Times: How do you manage all those voices?

L.A. Times: In the studio, we had a few rooms. We didn’t have a lot of time. We had one day when everyone could do it. We were doing different vocals in different rooms. The choir, we did it live with everyone there.

L.A. Times: As a producer, what was it like to be part of remaking something that has such a huge legacy?

RedOne: I think that's why Quincy and Lionel asked me. They wanted someone current but someone who would stay true to the first one. Honestly, I didn’t want to change too much. I have too much respect for the original. It's such a classic. I kept the magic and the musicality of the first one and just gave it a little fresher sound for the audience of now, so the new generation could appreciate it.

L.A. Times: I’m sure you felt a lot of pressure taking on the project.

RedOne: Oh, of course. My God. The pressure was big. But having people like Lionel and Quincy -- the most humble people who were very supportive -- helped. They gave me directions. But it was a lot of pressure. I told you, I had nightmares. Thank God they loved it. I was living a dream.

L.A. Times: Did you feel the spirit of Michael Jackson that day?

RedOne: Absolutely. Michael was a charity person. He loved helping people. He loved it. He loved helping anybody who needed it. And, of course, the spirit of Michael was there with us. We felt his energy. And with what’s going on in Haiti, I mean, that’s why we were all there. Nobody was thinking about their ego. This was about Haiti. Like Jaime Foxx, he told me … Jamie Foxx came to me and said “Red, don’t worry about me. I’m here for as long as you need me. Do your thing. If someone wants to sing first, I’ll wait.” There was a lot of that. Good spirit and positivity.

L.A. Times: Did you ever think that you'd be working with Tony Bennett on a track? Or so many of the other artists?

RedOne: Right! There was Wyclef, Tony, Celine, Akon, Barbra Streisand. I would never have thought it was possible. It’s incredible. Just sitting with Quincy Jones and Lionel in one room -- it’s beyond comprehension. And it’s all to help a country. The main idea is to touch people’s hearts. To send a message: help, help, help. We tried to perfect our creativity to transmit that to people because music is the No. 1 thing that unites people. We just want to raise as much money as possible for Haiti. (source)

Snoop Dogg & Stormtroopers Take Over Times Square For Addias Star Wars Sportswear

via ITN

Snoop was speaking as he launched a new range of Star Wars sportswear in New York which saw him march through Times Square with Darth Vader and his army of Stormtroopers.

Hip-hop megastar Snoop Dogg says being a part of the all-star group to re-record charity single We Are the World was an honour.

The rapper said: "To be there with so many big names, celebrities and singers, entertainers, it was a treat for me."

More than 70 artists including Barbra Streisand, Jennifer Hudson and Kanye West were invited to sing on the record which was organised by legendary producer Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie.

The group got together at the same Hollywood studio as the 1985 original was recorded. The track is to raise cash for the victims of the Haitian earthquake.

Photos links from the event:
Getty Images 1
Getty Images 2
Wire Image
Film Magic 1
Film Magic 2
Rex Features
Star Traks Photo
Globe Photos

Nipsey Hussle On His Participation Of 'We Are The World' Recording Session For Haiti Releif

via XXL

XXLMag.com: What was it like working on a record like “We Are the World?”

Nipsey Hussle: It was kind of like crazy to see so many world-renowned celebrities and established artists in the same studio. I ain’t never been a part of something that big. Obviously for the cause, it was for the redevelopment of Haiti, which is a cause that I believe in and everybody that was a part of it believed in. So it was big to be involved and for them to think of me when they called the artists up, being an artist that hasn’t dropped an album yet, and really just building a buzz on a street level, I was honored and humbled by them even including me in it. And like I said to just seen so many different artists from different genres of music, like Quincy Jones, Lionel Ritchie, down to Lil Wayne, myself, Kid Cudi, Drake, Trey Songz, Wyclef, LL Cool J, Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg… I couldn’t quite grasp it for a minute, like, “Wow, this is huge,” but the cause it was for it just goes to show that people are just in touch with the struggle, like nobody is too big for their britches to devote some of their time to something that it is in light of a tragedy on the other side of the world.

XXLMag.com: What was the vibe like in the studio?

Nipsey Hussle: The best word I can describe it was just “epic.” You know obviously 25 years ago [when] they did the original “We Are the World,” I was a little kid for that. I’m 24 right now, so I wasn’t even born for that but Quincy Jones was producing the session so he was behind the board, listening to the tapes, telling niggas, “Nah, go back in, do it again,” so we got a chance to do a record produced by Quincy Jones, that was big… You seen artists like LL Cool J and Jamie Foxx who had a little disagreement in the past, get together on the same record and do they thing. It was just like you would never see this many artists collab on a track, just naturally, so you felt like you was being a part of history just being in there. And like I said, with me being a new artist who ain’t droped a new album yet, being in such good company I just felt honored. I just wanted to show up and do what I do.

XXLMag.com: Did you get to chop it up with any of the other artists, like Wayne, Kanye and Quincy? Or was it all business in the studio?

Nipsey Hussle: Yeah, I hollered at Quincy for a minute because you know me and (Quincy's son) QD3 is real good friends and he produced a record on my project that we gonna keep for the album. Besides from Quincy and anybody that I was a fan of they music or I was big on they work, I just reached out and touched ’em, and hollered at ’em and 90 percent of them were like, “Yeah, man, we know what you do, you killin’ them, keep doin your thing.” I hollered at Kanye, I hollered at Swizz, me and Wyclef is real cool, we did records together. I didn’t get a chance to holler at Wayne, though. I hollered at his manager and he was like, “Yeah, man, Wayne is real big on your shit” and you know me and Drake did a record before so we just chopped it for a lil’ bit. Snoop my homeboy so we was in there… A lil’ bit of everybody. The girl from the Pussycat Dolls (Nicole Scherzinger), I got to chop it with her, she was real cool.

Read the full interview here:
XXL - Nipsey Hussle, The Making of “We Are the World 2010″

We Are The World Brings Out Top Talent For Haiti Relief

via the Los Angeles Times

Twenty-five years after the all-star recording of "We Are the World" became a signature moment in celebrity altruism and pop-music history, a new collective of stars came together Monday at the same Hollywood recording studio to record a new version for Haiti earthquake relief.

Just as Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan descended on the A&M Studios on La Brea to sing for famine relief in Africa, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Kanye West and Keith Urban turned up at the same soundstage (now called Henson Recording Studios) to join an all-star chorus that was 100 voices strong.

The 1985 effort, called USA for Africa, raised $63 million and became a template for famous-face fundraising. The new single will premiere Feb. 12 on NBC during the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics with the hope that the download single can help funnel aid into the ravaged island nation.

The anniversary project had been quietly planned for months and was scheduled for the day after the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards to maximize celebrity availability. The plan veered sharply, though, after the Jan. 12 temblor in Haiti: Instead of more relief for Africa, the organizers switched gears and turned their cause to the Caribbean.

The scene on Monday, like the original session, was a fascinating mix of star confluence.

Where else would 83-year-old Tony Bennett sing in unison with 15-year-old Justin Bieber? Emphasizing the cross-generational representation, the choir featured two Beach Boys (Brian Wilson and Al Jardine) and three Jonas Brothers (Nick, Joe and Kevin).

Some newly minted stars, such as Zac Brown, whose band won the best new artist Grammy on Sunday, seemed a bit wide-eyed to be milling in the sweltering recording room with the likes of Carlos Santana, who recorded a searing guitar solo for the single early in the six-hour session.

"It's like standing in the classic records section at the Turtles music store looking at all the covers," Brown said. "It's ridiculous and it's wonderful and for a good cause."

Other performers included Pink, Jeff Bridges, Vince Vaughn, Usher, Akon, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Toni Braxton, Snoop Dogg and Josh Groban.

Read the full article here:
L.A. Times - An all-star 'We Are the World' remake for Haiti relief

LL Cool J Dishes On We Are The World Remake With RadarOnline

VIDEO INTERVIEW: LL Cool J Dishes On We Are The World Remake | RadarOnline.com

The We Are The World recording session took place this afternoon (Monday, February 1) at the Jim Henson studios in Hollywood, CA.

LL Cool J was a teenager in 1985 when We Are The World was first released and twenty five years later, the rapper/actor talked about the honor of being part of the star-studded group remaking the song on Monday night in Los Angeles.

"I remember being a teenager [when the song was first recorded] and here I am now all these years later and here I am participating in it," he said outside the recording studio. "We weren’t allowed to really comment on who was going to be there cause no one really knew who was confirmed."

When asked to reflect more on the evening and the potential aid it will generate for Haiti, LL Cool J told RadarOnline.com:

"I think it’s wonderful. I think it’s great. They’re hurting right now and if we can help in a creative way, that’s a good thing. You know, we should help each other."

Celebrities from both the music and movie world united for the cause. Actors Vince Vaughn and Jeff Bridges made it out for the event as did musicians including Kanye West, Celine Dion and Miley Cyrus.

Photos:
RadarOnline
Getty Images - Inside