Will.i.am has defended playing Michael Jackson’s music, by using a bizarre reference to the Holocaust.
The rapper spoke out following the release of Leaving Neverland – which details past allegations of child sex abuse made against the late singer.
According to Sky News, Will said not playing Michael’s music would be like choosing to stop buying Bayer, who he claims made the chemicals to “kill all the Jews”.
He said: “We live in a very, very, very, very hypocritical, double-standard, fake society. I can name a thousand other products that we still buy, still use, that are owned by folks that have done the most horrendous things to people, millions of them, and we don’t take their products from the market.”
“You’re not talking about banning Bayer that made the chemicals to kill all the Jews. You’re not talking about real s**t and yet you want to flex on a song?”
“Bayer is really responsible for chemicals that killed millions of people but they’re headache medicine now. Are you going to ridicule them for their past? Are there reparations that need to be done for that?”
He added: “Imagine every country that ever had slaves, people said never travel to those countries because of what they’ve done in the past.”
“Are you not supposed to do anything with anyone who ever did anything ill in the past? England, Spain, Portugal. That’s not that long ago. Are there reparations for everyone who’s done something ill? I could name a thousand more ills that are worse but we’re going to pull songs?”
Will, who was the last artist to work with Michael, said, “I don’t know what to trust or believe, when I don’t know who’s behind it. Obviously it’s money, when The Beatles’s catalogue Sly And The Family Stone’s catalogue is still with the estate.”
“I’m torn, because that’s not the Michael Jackson I loved and will always love. It is a smear campaign, there’s been a number of smear campaigns in the past. If he did it, it’s sad and inhumane. If he didn’t, what’s happening is sad, and inhumane.
“And for somebody that knows him, you’re torn. You have the doc. Your heart wants to believe them but they’re on record lying so how am I supposed to trust that?”
