According to various outlets, Drake has decided to pull his Michael Jackson collaboration from his tour setlist.
He’s currently on the Assassination Vacation European Tour with Tory Lanez, and “Don’t Matter to Me” was allegedly originally part of the setlist and now removed, or left off from the get go. It was a key feature in the recent Aubrey and the Three Amigos tour with Migos, so if it was supposed to be in the deck, the decision is likely coming because of Leaving Neverland.
“Michael Jackson cast a spell. Leaving Neverland breaks it.” – New York Times
If you haven’t been paying attention, Leaving Neverland is the recently aired two-part HBO documentary that focuses on two men “who allege they were sexually abused as children by the singer Michael Jackson.”
Public reaction to the documentary has lead to various other responses including Jackson’s music being removed from several radio stations, The Simpsons dropping the famous episode he guest-starred in, and a 100 million lawsuit against HBO filed by the Jackson estate.
Jackson’s daughter and second child, Paris, recently tweeted out in response to allegations that she was defending accusations made against her father:
“I actually haven’t made any statements yet, especially regarding how it affects my work life. you guys are reaching a bit. at least this wasn’t a disgusting and attacking article though.”
“It’s a radically empathetic film about the resonating impact of sexual abuse.” – Vulture
Regardless of people’s personal opinions on the matter, it’s not surprising to see organizations, public figures or pop culture institutions like The Simpsons or Drake deciding to distance themselves from Jackson. Most PR firms would probably suggest it.
“Don’t Matter to Me” appears on Drake’s fifth studio album, Scorpion, which was released on June 29, 2018. The track was produced by Toronto producers Noah “40” Shebib and Nineteen85.
