12 recordings from 1989 to 1991 by “King of Pop” Michael Jackson were discovered in an abandoned warehouse in California.
According to the Hollywood Reporter on December 12, a man named Gregg Musgrove, 56 years old, accidentally “hunted for treasure” of the legendary Michael Jackson in an abandoned warehouse he bought in the San Fernando Valley area, California. This place used to belong to music producer and singer Bryan Loren.
The tapes were found in Bryan Loren’s warehouse. Photo: Gregg Musgrove
The agency said there were 12 unreleased recordings on the tapes. They were songs Jackson had made before the release of Dangerous (1991). “I looked on a lot of fan sites. Some of the songs were rumored to exist by fans, some of them were leaked. Some of them have never been seen before in the world,” Musgrove said.
In addition to the music, there are audiotapes of Michael Jackson or Bryan Loren discussing the recording and songwriting process. “I get goosebumps listening to them because no one has ever heard this before. It’s a great experience to hear Michael Jackson talking and joking with other people,” he added.
Michael Jackson performing in concert in 1986. Photo: WireImage
According to the Hollywood Reporter , one of the recordings, titled Don’t Believe It, appears to reference the media’s rumors about the “King of Pop.” The outlet noted that the song’s style and melody were similar to the music Jackson was releasing at the time. In another tape, the artist explained that the song’s title, Seven Digits, was related to the identification numbers of bodies in the morgue.
The most interesting recording is Truth on Youth , which is likely a rap duet between Michael Jackson and rapper LL Cool J, the outlet said. LL Cool J has previously spoken about working with Jackson and confirmed that they recorded together. The Hollywood Reporter noted that there are many reasons why the song stands out, but it’s largely due to Jackson’s rapping ability.
However, due to legal issues, it is difficult for Michael Jackson fans to enjoy all of the above music. Earlier this year, Musgrove and his lawyer met with the Michael Jackson Estate to discuss the tapes. He said the representative of the unit refused to buy them after studying them but did not give a reason, and sent a letter confirming that they did not claim ownership. They also clarified that the copyright of all the songs does not belong to Musgrove or any individual who buys them later because the foundation still holds that right. Therefore, all the songs are not public.
Experts have yet to determine the value of the tapes, but Musgrove and his team believe they could fetch tens of millions of dollars. He said he plans to take them all to major auction houses.
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The 1983 music video for “Thriller” was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful video of all time. Video: YouTube Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson (1958-2009) was born into a family of ten siblings. He began his musical career at the age of 11 when he joined the band The Jackson 5 and began working independently in 1987. In November 1982, Jackson released Thriller – the best-selling album of all time recognized by Guinness World Records.
Throughout his career, the artist won 13 Grammys and six Billboard awards. He also received the AMAs Award for Artist of the Century and the Bambi Award honoring Pop Artist of the Millennium. On June 25, 2009, Jackson died at his Neverland Ranch in California (USA) due to acute propofol poisoning leading to respiratory failure.
