Quincy Jones Kicked Into Touch

Michael Jackson fired Quincy Jones because he thought the producer was out of touch.

The music veteran - who produced the singer's breakthrough 'Off The Wall' album and 'Thriller', the biggest selling album of all time with the star - says Michael sacked him because Quincy loved rap and the star thought the genre was dead.

He laughed: Michael fired me. He said, 'Quincy doesn't understand the business any more. He doesn't know that rap is dead'.

However the 77-year-old doesn't hold any grudges.

He said: But it's OK. It wasn't so obvious then.

he music producer - who has worked with superstars such as Akon and U2 singer Bono - said he thinks teenagers should be educated on rappers, and has even put a prospective

He said: We're the only county with no minister of culture.