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When fans finally heard “Breaking News”, all hell broke loose. And because of his easy-access social media presence Teddy Riley became the target of the MJ fan community’s frustrations – copping a bombardment of insults and scrutiny from fans all over the world.
That’s when Riley, for the first time, admitted that he could not guarantee that the vocals on “Breaking News”, and the other Cascio tracks which he worked on, belonged to Jackson:
“The truth of this of it all [is that] no one knows [but] MJ and God knows. I have nothing more to say and I can’t prove anything. I did not originally produce his vocals nor these songs. I’ve answered all that I can answer for MJ fans. The Cascios have a [Twitter] page. They have your answers.” – Teddy Riley on November 9, 2010
Epic Records / Sony Music [soon released a statement] regarding the controversial songs, insisting that sufficient research had been done and that the label was satisfied with their findings.
Basically, the record company was taking Eddie Cascio and James Porte’s word for it, over the opinion of Jackson’s family and fans. Not even the requests of Michael’s mother and children – who are the beneficiaries of his estate – were taken seriously.
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Here’s where it gets confusing because Teddy Riley then started being more careful with his words and eventually totally changed what he was saying:
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Surprisingly Riley’s admission, which came just one day after the “Breaking News” premier, went largely unnoticed by fans and the media alike. But Sony and The Estate noticed it, putting pressure on the producer to make a series of radio and television appearances where he would argue in favor of the vocals.
In addition to Riley’s media appearances, his name was included in a statement released by The Michael Jackson Estate through attorney Howard Weitzman – referencing, among other things, the listening session held where the Cascio vocals were scrutinized:
“Six of Michael’s former producers and engineers who had worked with Michael over the past 30 years – Bruce Swedien, Matt Forger, Stewart Brawley, Michael Prince, Dr. Freeze and Teddy Riley – were all invited to a listening session to hear the raw vocals of the Cascio tracks in question. All of these persons listened to the a cappella versions of the vocals on the Cascio tracks being considered for inclusion on the album, so they could give an opinion as to whether or not the lead vocals were sung by Michael. They all confirmed that the vocal was definitely Michael.”
Tarryl Jackson and Cory Rooney said this was BS:
“I have read the statement from the MJ estate and I have to say that it’s just more bullshit!” said Cory Rooney. “I was in that room, and the majority of the people mentioned did NOT agree that it was MJ! Some felt it sounded like him but all agree that there was nothing there that was consistent with any MJ habits like finger snaps, headphone bleeding, foot stomping or just simple things like his voice asking for another take. Both Dr. Freeze and Teddy Riley sat with Taryll Jackson and myself and stated that they felt what we felt.”
“There are many inaccuracies and omissions in that statement,” added Taryll. “For one, I was also in that meeting and that was not the outcome. You will hear my story because this is way too important for my Uncle’s legacy. The truth will prevail.”
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Now here’s Teddy reversing his original accusation:
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As the release of the album approached Riley was billed to appear on Oprah Winfrey’s television show – alongside the Cascio family. Here, Riley claimed that Michael would be loving the controversy regarding the album, while attempting to convince Oprah, and the world, that vocals on the Cascio tracks were authentic.
“This is Michael’s voice,” he said nervously.
“Why do you say for sure it is him?” asked Oprah.
“[Because] you can hear the authenticity in his voice and you can hear, like, the natural part of him. And no one can really do a scream like that strong scream on the music that you hear, like Michael. I don’t care if you get anyone. They will never be able to duplicate Michael’s voice.”
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Then Tarryl Jackson, (MJ’s nephew) fired back at Teddy Riley:
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The only problem with Riley’s statement, that ‘no one can do a strong scream like Michael Jackson’s, was that the screams heard on the Cascio tracks, i.e. “aow!” and “hoo!” were actually stolen from previously released Jackson recordings – something that Jackson’s nephew TJ has addressed in an earlier statement:
“Deceptively merging shady vocals with MJ samples (from prior MJ records) will never fool me.”
“I’ve always admired the talent of Teddy Riley,” stated Taryll Jackson after the Oprah interview aired on television. “But after hearing him lie on Oprah I am terribly disappointed.”
When the “Michael” album was eventually released, in mid-December 2010, three Cascio tracks in total were included. One was the Riley-produced “Breaking News”, and another called “Monster” – also produced by Riley – featuring a rap segment by 50 Cent. The third Cascio track was called “Keep Your Head Up” – a song originally given to Riley to produce, which he decided against doing.
“I remember when Teddy and I were at Encore listening to ‘Keep Your Head Up’,” recalls Taryll. “We both knew it wasn’t my Uncle. [Teddy] stopped working on it because (and I quote) ‘it didn’t sound enough like Michael. Michael doesn’t swing like that.’ He also said he was only working on the Cascio records in hopes that he would eventually be given a ‘real Michael Jackson song.’ As he knows, I never agreed with that logic.”
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Teddy finally reveals that he was set up:
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Since the Cascio Fiasco first blew up publicly, in November 2010, Teddy has endured a continued onslaught of negative remarks from Michael Jackson fans online.
However, it seems that now Riley is hoping to turn the tables on Eddie Cascio, James Porte and everyone else involved with the creation of the tracks, claiming he will be addressing the issue soon.
“Do you feel betrayed by Eddie Cascio and his team for the situation you ended up in with their fake MJ songs? It seem[s] to me like you got all the heat for a fraud they created, which is [not] fair on you…” tweeted a fan to the producer on April 8, 2013.
“It isn’t (fair), but it’s all good. I’ll be able to talk soon,” responded Riley.
“[Now] isn’t the time. I’m muted, but trust me MJ always gets his just due. He is my bestfriend, bigbro and confidant. Please believe! The truth will set us all free.”
“I was set up and it will all come out when [my] book comes. That’s all I can say right now.” – September 2, 2013
Riley later informed a fan, again via Twitter, that his book will not focus solely on Michael Jackson and the “Michael” album controversy. Instead; just one chapter will cover his entire “MJ experience” – including details of his work on the Cascio tracks. He wrote:
“… My book will not be totally about Michael… Just a chapter of my total MJ experience. The times I had working with and without him. I love MJ so much and he knows that. What I’ve been through without him being there I regret, and thats what will be in detail. I hope everyone appreciate and respect that. Thank you so much for your concern. Michael loves everyone, especially his fans that protects him.”
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We’ll be on the lookout for that book.
There is currently a pending lawsuit against Eddie Cascio, his collaborative partner James Porte, and Cascio’s music production company Angelikson Productions LLC allegeding that they committed fraud by creating and selling fake songs, via The Estate of Michael Jackson and Sony Music Entertainment, to consumers on the Michael album – released on December 14, 2010 in the U.S.
-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, Old School news with a new point of view
