ESSO Drops ‘Off The Wall’ Mixtape in Honor of MJ Classic

Back in April, Harlem's ESSO teamed with Woody, his right hand man producer, to work on a novel remake mixtape. The target? Michael Jackson's absolute classic 'Off The Wall.' After a long wait, the tape is available and free for your download here.

Yet before jumping in, ESSO wants everyone to know that this was a labor of love that started months before the pop singer's untimely death. It was meant as pure, loving tribute to a great record and not some crass commercialization of a tragedy.

"Woody and I set out months ago to rework one of the most important transitional albums in the history of popular music as we know it," ESSO wrote on his Web site. "The album catapulted Michael Jackson to 'Thriller' proportions and left us unforgettable songs like 'Rock With You,' 'Off The Wall,' 'Don't Stop Til You Get Enough,' 'Girlfriend' and 'She's Outta My Life.' We turned those songs into 'Just Feel It,' 'Life Like This,' 'Don't Stop' and 'Girlfriend' (but with a different spin)."

That spin is just different enough to position ESSO as a viable contender in the "New New York" rap scene. "Don't Stop," the lead off track is particularly pleasing as esoteric sneaker references and a perfectly placed Spike Lee shout out pretty much destroy a jumpy, spazz-inducing flip of MJ's "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough."

ESSO continues, "I sincerely hope that no one takes our project as an attempt to capitalize off of the death of a King. This project means way too much to me for it to ever be misunderstood. In the wake of the 30th anniversary of 'Off The Wall' it is with the utmost respect and reverence that we proudly present you the product of our labor for the past months."

Head on over to The ESSO Experience for a free download.