Their collaboration, 'Hold My Hand,' was 'preapproved,' Akon tells MTV News about Michael track.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Kelly Marino
Akon
Photo: MTV News
There has been much debate over the release of new music by Michael Jackson, set for release on his album Michael, due out December 14. Some fans and some of Jackson's collaborators, such as will.i.am, have spoken out about the release of the tracks, many of which were finished after Jackson's death. It's an argument that Akon, who worked with Jackson on the song "Hold My Hand," understands.
"Michael Jackson's new album and the new releases, of course, there's been comments about whether or not [it] should actually be released or whether it would reflect his true authenticity, but naturally because of the fact he's not here to see it through, it definitely wouldn't reflect what he had in mind for it because there's other minds working for him," Akon told MTV News about the tracks. "But I think at the end of the day, we have two choices: We can put out the little that we do have to hold onto, or we can just never ever put it out again. ... The material that he did have that was finished, he would have loved to put it out.
"[The songs] were created by him, now whether or not they were finished by him is a different story," he added. "And that's just a collective effort of all of us. It's a double-edged sword."
Akon points out that one of those finished tracks is "Hold My Hand," making the argument that his contribution to the album is Jackson-approved.
"If he was here today, I think he would definitely approve of 'Hold My Hand,' because it was already preapproved," he said. "But the rest of the songs, I'm not quite sure how far those songs went 'cause Michael's a perfectionist. He wouldn't let anything go unfinished. Me knowing him from my standpoint of viewing him, I'm not quite sure, because he won't stop; he will go and go until there's not one doubt left in his mind that this record is perfect.
"So, I hope he would [have approved of the album], then again, you never know. He's the only one that can answer that question."
Do you think the tracks should be released? Sound off in the comments below.
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