In 2004, Brian Burton came to prominence as a musician/producer under stage name Danger Mouse by mashing up The Beatles’ White Album and Jay-Z’s Black Album. Coupling illegal Beatles samples with Jay-Z’s acapella raps, the album gained notoriety when EMI, copyright holder of the White Album, demanded Burton and all retailers cease distribution. Amidst the publicity, the Grey Album became one of most popular downloads of the year and most popular mashup collection to date. The critical establishment lauded Danger Mouse’s effort. It ranked #1 in Entertainment Weekly’s Best of 2004 picks. Danger Mouse’s supporters defend the Grey Album by citing commonplace sampling throughout the history of hip-hop. Hundreds of websites hosted the album for download during “Grey Tuesday”, a day of electronic civil disobedience in February 2004. Danger Mouse has since produced Gnarls Barkley’s debut, the second Gorillaz album Demon Days and earned a Grammy nomination for both albums.

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Listen to Danger Mouse’s take on Jay Z’s “99 Problems”
Official Danger Mouse Website
Danger Mouse on AllMusic.com
2004 interview with Danger Mouse
BBC Radio piece on The Grey Album
Grey Tuesday