Subscribe
Cassius Life Featured Video
CLOSE
1984 Grammy Awards

Source: William Nation / Getty

L   ook here. Quincy Jones has done pretty much everything a man can accomplish in life. And, at 84, he’s holding his tongue for no one. On a press run for his upcoming Netflix documentary—and ahead of an Oprah Winfrey-hosted special—Jones sat down with New York magazine to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, so help him, God. And why not? The man’s literally got nothing to be afraid of. With 28 Grammy awards and experiences that have taken him around the world and back, he might be the only man alive capable of calling The Beatles “no playing motherfuckers.” It gets outrageously juicy from there.

When talking about being a genius and impresario behind Michael Jackson’s career, Jones gets into it straight away. “I hate to get into this publicly, but Michael stole a lot of stuff. He stole a lot of songs. [Donna Summer’s] State of Independence” and Billie Jean. The notes don’t lie, man. He was as Machiavellian as they come.”

And he even touches on MJ’s drug use. Infamously, Jackson fell victim to propofol and passed in 2009. “Yes, but at the end, Michael’s problem was propofol, and that problem affects everyone—doesn’t matter if you’re famous.”

He continues to be completely and utterly frank from there. Check out Q’s many revelations below.

On Jimi Hendrix not lending guitar strings to his album Gula Matari:

“He was supposed to play on my album and he chickened out. He was nervous to play with Toots Thielemans, Herbie Hancock, Hubert Laws, Roland Kirk—those are some scary motherfuckers.”

On Rock music:

“Rock ain’t nothing but a white version of rhythm and blues, motherfucker.”

On The Beatles:

“… They were the worst musicians in the world. They were no-playing motherfuckers. Paul was the worst bass player I ever heard. And Ringo? Don’t even talk about it.”

On the rich caring about the poor:

“The rich aren’t doing enough. They don’t f*cking care. I came from the street, and I care about these kids who don’t have enough because I feel I’m one of ’em.”

On the whole damn stinking country:

“We’re the worst we’ve ever been, but that’s why we’re seeing people try and fix it. Feminism: Women are saying they’re not going to take it anymore. Racism: People are fighting it. God is pushing the bad in our face to make people fight back.”

On Donald Trump:

“It’s Trump and uneducated rednecks. Trump is just telling them what they want to hear. I used to hang out with him. He’s a crazy motherfucker. Limited mentally—a megalomaniac, narcissistic. I can’t stand him.”

Perhaps the strangest part of the whole thing, apparently, Paul Allen (Microsoft guy) can jam:

“I went on a trip on his yacht, and he had David Crosby, Joe Walsh, Sean Lennon—all those crazy motherfuckers. Then on the last two days, Stevie Wonder came on with his band and made Paul come up and play with him—he’s good, man.”

Listen, we could sit here and copy and paste this whole interview because it is master class in not caring one way or another about the news cycle. To be this rich, talented, and carefree is a gift from the Lord and Jones is using it. Go read this interview right damn now.