OK, everyone remembers the iconic music video for MJ’s classic ‘Black Or White’. Macaulay Culkin is a naughty little critter who likes pumping his beats and, after being goaded by his parents, blasts his father into what I assume is Africa. We then take a trip around the world – you know the one…

How about that rap solo part though, not quite as memorable is it? You’ll want to check from the 4:30 mark to get up to speed, but that’s obviously not Culkin rapping. So who is the man behind this effort and what has become of him? The guys over at VICE decided to do some digging, and here’s what they found.

After being given the runaround they eventually found the man who was credited as L.T.B. in the song credit, a certain Bill Bottrell. Bottrell was also credited as a producer, tasked with filling a ‘gaping hole’ in the song’s middle section once the verses and chorus had been nailed. Bottrell had the idea one morning to plug the hole with a rap and the rest is history:

Bottrell recorded a version of the rap which he intended to serve as a temporary filler and played it to Jackson. “He just loved it,” Bottrell told me.

Bottrell’s initial plan with the rap was to get an actual rapper to record over his part, and suggested to Jackson that they use LL Cool J or Heavy D, who were both in the studio working on other tracks for the album.

Jackson, however, insisted that they use Bottrell’s recording, something the producer told me he wasn’t entirely comfortable with. “I’m, you know, a songwriter and record producer,” he said. “I’m not a rapper, and I did not intend to be a white guy who’s rapping on there.”

With the success of both the song and the album L.T.B. became hot property, although Bottrell had no desire to pursue that aspect of his career and the mystery turned into music folklore. Here’s VICE once more:

When I suggested that this might mean that Bottrell might be, without realizing it, one of the most influential rappers of all time, he cut me off with a laugh. “Stop.” he said. “No. Don’t even go there.”

Amateur. What he should have said was ‘stop, collaborate and listen’, which as we know is the sure-fire way to turn even the least talented white rappers into superstars.

[source:vice]