Amazon Music Original: Troubleman
By PJ Morton, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge
On the heels of the debut of highly anticipated crime thriller series Cross from Prime Video, PJ Morton, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest), and Adrian Younge (Jazz is Dead) have collaborated to release an Amazon Music Original cover of Motown legend Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man.” Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge, who served as the composers for the new series, also produced this new cover. Fans can hear the trio’s take on “Trouble Man” today only on Amazon Music here, and check out a video of the making of the track inside the studio here.
Marvin Gaye’s jazz and soul-infused song “Trouble Man” sets the scene for Cross by appearing in the series trailer. Cross is a brand-new series based on the characters written by best-selling author James Patterson, and created by showrunner and executive producer Ben Watkins. Alex Cross, played by Aldis Hodge, is a detective and forensic psychologist who faces a sadistic serial killer and deals with a mysterious threat from his past that aims to destroy his grieving family, career, and his life. All eight episodes of Cross are now streaming exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
“Trouble Man” sonically embodies the ethos of the series with gripping instrumentation and also through Gaye’s lyrics, “I come up hard, baby, but now I'm cool. I didn't make it, sugar, playing by the rules. I come up hard, baby, but now I'm fine. I'm shaking trouble, sugar, moving down the line. I come up hard, baby, but that's OK 'cause trouble man don't get in my way.” As Cross is a bold reinvention of a fan-favorite crime thriller, this new take on Gaye’s “Trouble Man” is a reimagination of a beloved classic.
PJ Morton says, “well you can never go wrong with Marvin, but I was excited about taking a different approach to a song we’ve known and loved for a long time.”
“Marvin Gaye’s artistry is so profound that approaching a cover of his iconic ‘Trouble Man’ required a delicate balance: honoring the original while allowing it to evolve,” says Ali Shaheed Muhammad. “To tie this rendition to the score Adrian and I composed for the Alex Cross series, we embraced a fresh perspective. PJ Morton’s soulful vocal performance brought the perfect blend of reverence and innovation, creating something new while remaining faithful to the spirit of Marvin’s masterpiece. We hope both Marvin’s admirers and fans of the show appreciate our interpretation.”
Arian Younge says, “It was an honor to recreate this Marvin Gaye classic alongside PJ and Ali. We all felt like we went back in time to add to Marvin’s musical voice, as well as add to the sonic landscape of a modern black hero, Alex Cross. As black composers, we don’t get many of these opportunities and you can hear this sentiment in both versions of the song. From blaxploitation to modern black television, we’ve come a long way and ‘Trouble man’ exemplifies our journey.”
Fans can head to Amazon Music today to hear “Trouble Man” by PJ Morton, Adrian Younge, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad and celebrate a reinterpretation of an iconic classic both from Marvin Gaye and with Cross.
Cross is produced by Amazon MGM Studios, Paramount Television Studios, and Skydance Television.
About PJ Morton
PJ Morton is a soul singer, songwriter, performer and producer based in New Orleans. He is a 5x GRAMMY-winner and 20x GRAMMY nominee who has earned numerous nominations for BET, Soul Train and NAACP Image Awards, in addition to selling out countless shows at historic venues like the Apollo Theater, Kennedy Center and others around the world. On top of running his own record label (Morton Records) and serving as Maroon 5's full-time keyboardist for the past 12+ years, he has collaborated with Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Jon Batiste, Nas, Lil Wayne, JoJo, Yebba, Jill Scott and many others.
About Adrian Younge
Adrian Younge is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist, composer, and orchestrator who has produced for entertainment greats such as Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Wu Tang Clan. In 2017, Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest) formed the band, The Midnight Hour. In addition to musical releases and touring, they’ve teamed to score a myriad of television and film projects. In 2019, Younge, Muhammad, Andrew Lojero and Adam Block created Jazz Is Dead (JID): a multimedia company specializing in the production of live concerts, studio albums, television and film. JID concerts have earned an ever-growing fanbase through national and international tours. Under the label, Younge and Muhammad have produced albums with their musical heroes including luminaires such as Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Gary Bartz, Jean Carne, Marcos Valle and Tony Allen.
About Ali Shaheed Muhammad
DJ/Producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad is a hip-hop icon. As one-third of legendary hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, his influence and impact on the musical landscape is still felt today. The soft-spoken and contemplative Brooklyn native began a life of music at an early age, spending years DJing parties in his Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood before co-founding Tribe in 1985. The group’s socially conscious lyrics and unique production style is as innovative today as it was two decades ago.
