Has Drake DROPPED Michael Jackson track from his tour after Leaving Neverland allegations?
Drake has reportedly cut a song featuring Michael Jackson from his UK tour set list, shortly after documentary Leaving Neverland aired on Channel 4.
The Canadian rapper started his Assassination Vacation tour in Manchester on March 10, but did not play the song Don’t Matter To Me.
The track features a sample of Jackson’s vocals from 1983 and appeared on Drake’s 2018 album Scorpion.
The Sun reports that the song is not expected to re-appear on the star’s set lists for future tour dates.
The rapper previously performed the track live on his Aubrey & The Three Migos tour of North America last year.
Standard Online has contacted a representative for Drake for comment.
Don’t Matter To Me attracted criticism from Jackson’s family upon its release, with the singer’s nephew Austin Brown commenting: “I just feel like if [Jackson] didn’t finish it, [Drake] shouldn’t use it.”
Leaving Neverland was broadcast on HBO in the United States and on Channel 4 in the UK last week, and features interviews with James Safechuck and Wade Robson, who have accused Jackson of molesting them as children.
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Both men testified on Jackson’s behalf when a civil suit was brought against him by the family of Jordan Chandler in 1993, but have since filed their own suits against the musician.
Safechuck filed a suit against the singer in 2013, while Robson did the same in 2014. Both cases were eventually dismissed in 2017.
The Jackson family has denied the claims and branded the documentary as tantamount to a “public lynching.”
Despite the allegations made in the two-parter, Jackson’s albums climbed the iTunes album chart last week.
Radio stations in Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand have chosen to remove Jackson’s songs from their playlists following the documentary, though broadcasters in the UK have not followed their example.
A BBC spokesperson confirmed that they do not ban artists, and said that they “consider each piece of music on its merits,” adding: “Decisions on what we play on different networks are always made with relevant audiences and context in mind.”