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Story: Jack Foley
FOR those who were there, it was a once-in-a-lifetime musical
moment. On July 18, 2004, MTV brought Jay-Z and Linkin Park together
for a once-in-a-lifetime performance at West Hollywood’s
famed Roxy Theatre in front of a select group of lucky fans.
It was a meeting of musical minds inspired by mutual admiration
and a passion for music, resulting in a combination of great songs
'mashed' together as if they meant to be paired in that way all
along.
The evening proved to be stylistically grand, and artistically
bold as the famed Sunset Blvd. literally shook underneath the
weight of these musical heavyweights on the same stage, mixing
it up.
It was a musically masterful performance no one has, or will
soon forget.
Now, for those who missed it (and for those who want to re-live
it), comes on Warner Bros. Records and Roc-A-Fella Records one
of the most exciting CD + DVD packages yet:
MTV Ultimate Mash-Ups Presents Jay-Z / Linkin Park: Collision
Course, a two-disc set, due November 29.
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The CD features studio recordings
of the same song combinations performed live on that unforgettable
night.
The tracks were cut in the studio with Linkin Park and Jay-Z
while they rehearsed for the Roxy performance.
Included are pairings such as Dirt Off Your Shoulder/Lying
From You, Numb/Encore, Izzo/In The End and more.
Says Mike Shinoda, of Linkin Park (who doubled as producer on
the album), about selecting the songs that would be melded: "We
picked the songs based on tempo, key and vibe.
"Most of it was pretty obvious to me - the songs just told
me which ones should go together."
The real challenge, however, came while re-recording the tracks
in the studio, most notably the vocal tracks.
Linkin Park vocalist, Chester Bennington, says of the experience:
"The biggest challenge in recording some of the new vocals
was singing our dark lyrics over Jay's music. Some of his songs
felt happier than our songs - which made for a different attitude
in our vocals."
The DVD contains the Roxy performance in 5.1 Surround Sound,
plus a revealing behind the scenes documentary detailing the creative
process of the collaboration.
This poignant and fun feature will show you how, in just four
days, Jay-Z and Linkin Park created, rehearsed, recorded and ultimately
performed the songs that make up the ultimate mash-up album.
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