January 06, 2009

Jay-Z And Radiohead Collide On 'Jaydiohead' Mash-Up Album

By James Montgomery (MTV.com)

Perhaps Jay-Z should think about starting a new "mash-ups" wing over at Jigga Inc. Once again, he's an unwitting participant in an Internet mix, this time being paired with Radiohead on an album called - you guessed it - Jaydiohead.

It's the handiwork of NYC DJ Minty Fresh Beats, and it's currently streaming (and available for download) over at Jaydiohead.com. Pairing songs from Jay's Black Album and American Gangster with tunes from a host of Radiohead albums (OK Computer, Kid A and In Rainbows), the album includes songs like "99 Anthems," "Dirt Off Your Android" and "Lucifer's Jigsaw."

Minty Fresh (who, he'd like you to know, is "available for albums, demos, mixtapes, mixing or mastering") premiered the Jaydiohead mash on his MySpace page on December 30, and in the days since, it's quickly spread across file-sharing sites and message boards. Reaction from fans of both Jay and Radiohead has been overwhelmingly positive, with some at 'Head fan site AtEaseWeb.com even going so far as to design covers for the album.

Of course, Jay mash-ups are nothing new. Danger Mouse took Jay's lyrics and paired them with music from the Beatles' White Album, creating the so-called Grey Album that would become an online sensation (and earn the ire of the EMI Music legal team). In subsequent years, Black Album a cappella tracks would also be mashed with a variety of other artists, including Weezer, Pavement, Prince and Metallica.

Just last year, in the wake of the feud between Jay and Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher, a trio of Spanish producers released the OJayZis: Jay-Z vs. Oasis mixtape. Oh, and then there was Viva la Hova, a mash of Jay and songs from Coldplay's Viva la Vida.

There was no threat of legal action over either of those projects, and it appears that Jaydiohead might be in the clear too. As of press time, neither Jay-Z's nor Radiohead's publicists had responded to MTV News' request for comment on the album.