The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20171107030415/https://www.bet.com/news/music/2014/03/31/l-a-reid-to-release-new-michael-jackson-album-xscape.amp.html

L.A. Reid to Release New Michael Jackson Album, XSCAPE

Epic Records CEO worked with Timbaland to curate and "contemporize" a collection of the pop star's music.

Published March 31, 2014

Epic Records chairman and CEO L.A. Reid has teamed up with the Michael Jackson estate and Timbaland to release XSCAPE, a new collection of the King of Pop's material.

"Modern music and artistry would look and sound completely different if not for the groundbreaking contributions Michael Jackson gifted to the world," Reid said via a press release.

Reid himself has worked with a slew of artists who are influenced by Jackson, including UsherKanye West and Ciara.

For XSCAPE, Reid is executive producer of the album. Using unlimited access to four decades' worth of MJ Music, he personally curated a selection of vocals for eight new tracks, which he handed over to an all-star team of producers.

He called on Timbo to handle most of the production. Rodney Jerkins, Stargate and Jerome "Jroc" Harmon are among the others. Jerkins, for example, got behind the boards for the title track, which is the one song on the album for which the original producer is also the one who updated it.

Reid also noted that he chose "Xscape" for the album's title because MJ has a history of selecting album titles based on a one-word song in the final set that has an edgy quality to it.

"Michael was always on the cutting edge and was constantly reaching out to new producers, looking for new sounds," said John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the estate of Michael Jackson, also via a press release. "He was always relevant and current. These tracks, in many ways, capture that spirit. We thank L.A. Reid for his vision."

XSCAPE is available for pre-order beginning Tuesday (April 1). The official release date is May 13. A deluxe version will include the original songs that use Jackson's vocals, plus the eight new ones. 

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(Photo: KMazur/WireImage)

Written by BET-Staff