Jay-Z Explains ‘We Are the World’ No Show

Last Friday (Feb. 12) the 'We Are the World' remake and Paul Haggis-directed video premiered during the Winter Olympics to opinions ranging from optimistic to brutally negative. While rumored to have put in his time recording on the track before the other all-stars, Jay-Z was ultimately a no-show. During his "2 Kings" charity dinner and party with Lebron James, Hov explained why he decided to sit this one out.

"I have an interesting take on that," the mogul explained to MTV News. "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. I'm a fan of music. I know the plight and everything that's going on in Haiti. I applaud the efforts: [Millions have been raised] through text [donations] to Haiti. So I appreciate the efforts and everything, but 'We Are the World' is just untouchable like 'Thriller' is untouchable. Some things are just untouchable. It was a valiant effort, but for me, it's gonna be untouchable."

The Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson-penned original was a truly massive affair and it's achieved a legendary status since its 1985 release. Plus, Jay already sort of did his part with his 'Stranded' collaboration with U2 and Rihanna. Always with Hov, it's on to the next one. Trying something new is more important than meddling with the past.

"As everyone knows, I have tremendous respect for Quincy Jones. Of course, I think he's genius, as everyone else does. I think it's time for us to make a new [song]. I tried to do that with 'Stranded'. I didn't try to make 'We are the World,' but I tried to make our take on how we felt."