HBO’s “Leaving Neverland” documentary has sparked a lot of debate over Michael Jackson’s music. Now, it seems Drake has also entered the fray with a decision on the matter.
On Monday (March 11), various sites reported the Toronto rapper removed “Don’t Matter to Me” from his tour setlist in Manchester over the weekend. The track appears on his latest album, Scorpion, and features previously unheard vocals from the late King of Pop. Drake included the record, co-produced by 40 and Nineteen85, on the setlist for his 2018 Aubrey and the Three Migos tour, Complex reports.
No word yet as for what made Drake have a change of heart when he kicked off his Assassination Vacation tour with Tory Lanez and Tiffany Calver on Sunday (March 10), but the news comes in the wake of child molestation allegations made against Jackson in the controversial documentary.
Since the HBO film aired, several radio stations worldwide have begun to ban Jackson’s music from the airwaves. Last week, it was reported that three Montreal radio stations and two popular radio stations in New Zealand pulled the plug on the Thriller performer’s classic hits due to feedback from listeners who found the accusations troubling.
The fallout continued when “The Simpsons” decided to pull an episode featuring Jackson from the air and from all streaming platforms. “It feels clearly the only choice to make,” executive producer James L. Brooks told The Wall Street Journal in a statement. Brooks told the Journal the decision was made after viewing the compelling documentary.
Jackson’s family has denounced the HBO film directed by Dan Reed. “The facts, which are public record, tell a totally different story than what this documentary talks about,” Marlon Jackson told the Associated Press ahead of the film’s broadcast. Jackson’s daughter, Paris, also called for “love and peace” over “tabloids and lies.”