When Jay-Z Met The Fab Four

By Sora Song

Recently, L.A.-based DJ Brian Burton (a.k.a. Danger Mouse) had an inspiration: Why not remix the vocals off JAY-Z'S 2003 Black Album with sampled tracks from the 1968 BEATLES' LP known as The White Album? Says Burton: "Once I started on it, I got obsessed." Presto: The Grey Album. Burton initially sent the record--made without the artists' permission--to a few friends and music-industry types, but it found its way onto the Web and became an underground sensation. Hits on Burton's website went from 30 a day to 11,000, and he distributed an extra 3,000 CDs, many to independent record stores, hoping to recoup some costs. No go. EMI Group, which releases the Beatles' recordings, ordered him to stop. So we've finally come to this: illegal downloads of illegal music.