While rapper Jay-Z is sympathetic to the motivation behind redoing “We are the World,” he does not support the 2010 remake of the classic Michael Jackson-Lionel Richie-penned charity single, dubbed “We are the World 25 for Haiti.”
“I know everybody is gonna take this wrong: ‘We Are the World,’ I love it, and I understand the point and think it’s great. But I think ‘We Are the World’ is like ‘Thriller’ to me. I don’t ever wanna see it touched,” said Jay-Z while speaking with MTV News at the “2 Kings” dinner Saturday.
“I’m a fan of music. I know the plight and everything that’s going on in Haiti. I applaud the efforts…I appreciate the efforts and everything, but ‘We are the World’ is [musically] untouchable like ‘Thriller’ is untouchable. Some things are just untouchable. It was a valiant effort, but for me, it’s gonna be untouchable,” added the rapper and mogul, who would have “loved” to have seen a new song written for the 2010 struggle in Haiti.
“We are the World 25 for Haiti” currently sits at number one on the iTunes download chart. A new take on the 1985 song that includes auto-tune and a rap verse, the single was produced by RedOne and Rickey Minor and features performances from Justin Bieber, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Nettles, Wyclef Jean, Josh Groban, P!nk, Miley Cyrus, Lil Wayne, Jamie Foxx and many others.