Jackson unveils performers for Katrina benefit song

Raymone K Bain, Michael Jackson's publicist, said so far eight performers have agreed to join a song to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims.

The song is tentatively titled From the Bottom of My Heart.

Bain said the artists who will appear on the song include James Brown, Jay-Z, Mary J Blige, Missy Elliott, Lenny Kravitz, R Kelly, Snoop Dogg and Ciara, reports NDTV.com.

But representatives for some of the artists said it was premature to say their clients were committed to the charity single, which hopes to duplicate the 1984 worldwide hit “We Are the World,” which Jackson co-wrote to benefit African starvation victims.

Representatives for Snoop Dogg said he would take part. But Jay-Z’s publicist, Jana Fleishman, said the rapper had “been approached, but Jay told me directly he is not yet confirmed to be on that song.” Several other publicists said their clients were in talks and had yet to confirm.

Bain, however, insisted during a telephone interview Wednesday that Jackson had personally contacted all the artists himself. She said Jackson will record the tune on 2 Seas Records, the label owned by Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, son of the king of Bahrain. Jackson, who was acquitted after a grueling child molestation trial four months ago, has been a guest of Sheik Abdulla for the past several weeks.

To confirm her account, Bain handed the phone to Sheik Abdulla, who said that he and Jackson had had talked to each artist personally. “He made every single call himself,” the sheik said, informs MSNBC.