Michael Jackson’s Thriller -era guitarist says Beat It was “too metal” before producer Quincy Jones stepped in.

Music producer Wack 100 revealed in a new interview that Michael Jackson beat the breaks off late-rapper Tupac Shakur in defense of Quincy Jones’s daughter Kidada Jones. Wack shared the story to highlight that Tupac’s tough persona in his music and on-screen roles didn’t match his real-life behavior.

Quincy Jones, who passed away Sunday, helped produce Michael Jackson’s albums “Off The Wall,” “Thriller,” and “Bad.”

In a recent interview, guitarist Steve Lukather revealed that the Quincy Jones-produced song was almost a heavy metal record.