BJ The Chicago Kid Talks About Creating Duet with Marvin Gaye: ‘I’m Blessed For Sure’

BJ The Chicago Kid teamed up with Marvin Gaye's estate to release a duet of late singer's classic record, "What's Going On?" Now the R&B singer is sharing information on how it came about.

"His estate called Motown to get in contact with me and that was an agreement between my label, lawyers and estate," said BJ while chopping it up with You Know I Got Soul. "It’s an honor to be honored by the people that I honor. That’s a pimp-ish way to say it," he laughs.

He continues, "I honor Marvin Gaye and I’m sure I’m not the only one, but to do a duet with him on 'What’s Going On?' with the original artwork and collector’s vinyl. I think that’s pretty cool for a kid that grew up on the South Side of Chicago. We don’t really get those types of opportunities and I definitely realize I’m blessed for sure."

As for getting to sing on the classic record, BJ says that it's not that different from working on his other songs, including the two tracks he has with Kendrick Lamar.

"You just do you like when you’re doing any other song. It’s nothing different. Some people are like, 'How’s it like working with Kendrick Lamar?' and really, it’s like working with anyone else that I work with," he said. "There’s no unicorns that pop out the ceiling and no glitter that pops out of my pocket. It’s just regular people in the studio doing what we do. It’s the same thing with that. I just sing the song and I sing it with conviction, meaning and I get into the mood of every song I do no matter how much time I have in between. I definitely get in the mood of every song to give you the feeling that you should have."

Read the full interview here and check out the track below.

Listen to Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" (Duet Version with BJ The Chicago Kid)