Drake in trouble with MJ Fans

I never understood the frenzy around the rapper Drake. No offence but I am a Pop Music lover and that’s why I am a fan of Michael Jackson, because MJ is the King of Pop!

Rap is not my cup of tea so when in 2018 fans went crazy about the Drake release “Don’t Matter To Me”,featuring Michael Jackson, I wasn’t thrilled. Or when Drake mentioned Michael in one of his song in 2020 or when he danced like Michael in 2021 or even when he referred to Michael Jackson in his video in 2023, I wasn’t ecstatic about those.

So when Drake released “Family Matters” on May 3, bashing Michael Jackson (along with other rappers such as Kendrick Lamar, Future, Rick Ross, A$AP Rocky, and Kanye West), Michael Jackson fans took the matter to Social Media and called for boycotting the song, or cancelling Drake.

Here the section of the lyrics regarding Michael:

“Oh shit, it’s all makin’ sense, maybe I’m Prince and you actually Mike
Michael was prayin’ his features would change so people believe that he’s actually white
Top would make you do features for change, get on pop records and rap for the whites
And wait, you say your brother Jermaine, but you wanted him to stay out of the light”

Yes, the lyrics are not nice and are based on the urban legend in the music industry that Michael Jackson bleached his skin to be more popular with the white audience; and I can understand why fans are upset, especially if they through themselves to Drake and his music when he was doing positive stuff about Michael.

For me, Drake wasn’t much of a concern before, and now even less so. Yet, what disappoints me more is witnessing those very fans who passionately advocate for cancelling Drake now, fervently praising “MJ The Musical”. It’s a stark contradiction considering the playwright, Lynn Nottage, has publicly voiced her belief in the accusers, Robson and Safechuck, not once, but twice. It makes me ponder: is it more egregious to craft lyrics based on a mythical notion like Michael bleaching his skin, or to create an entire musical grounded in the belief that Michael committed one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, second only to murder?

I know my conscience is clear.

Sebastian for MJVibe