Rapper TI has hit out at the Michael Jackson documentary Leaving Neverland, claiming it has an agenda, and is out to "destroy black culture".
The documentary, the second part of which aired last night on HBO, details the story of two men that claimed the popstar - who died in 2009 at the age of 50 - sexually assaulted them as young boys, in an exposé that has fans and friends of the musician split.
Jackson, of course, was officially acquitted of such wrongdoings in 2004 in a highly-publicised trial, but since allegations arose over the course of Leaving Neverland, many people have had their minds changed on their views of Jackson's guilt, but TI is not one of them.
Taking to Instagram to back Michael Jackson, TI launched into an impassioned defence of the musician, citing an interview Jackson had with Piers Morgan - wherein Jackson says he would rather "slit his wrists" than harm a child.
In his post, TI drew parallels between celebrities such as Jackson and Kelly compared to Hugh Hefner and Elvis Presley (who both allegedly had relationships with underage girls), saying that pedophilia is rife in American celebrity history.
"Pierce [sic] Morgan a real one for this," TI began in his post, praising the British journalist.
"Let this man speak for himself to defend his legacy. Don’t just listen to one side and expect to find truth. Oh that’s right...Dead men can’t speak. So what was the point again? Destroy another strong black historical LEGEND?!?!
"It’s several examples of pedophilia in American History... if y’all pulling up all our old shit... we gotta examine ELVIS PRESLEY, HUGH HEPHNER [sic],and a whole slew of others guilty of the same if not more!!! BUT WHY US all the time? There’s an agenda to destroy OUR CULTURE."
Back on January 25, Michael Jackson's estate released a statement on the then-upcoming documentary, slamming it as little more than a "tabloid character assassination".
"The film takes uncorroborated allegations that supposedly happened 20 years ago and treats them as fact. These claims were the basis of lawsuits filed by these two admitted liars which were ultimately dismissed by a judge. The two accusers testified under oath that these events never occurred.
"They have provided no independent evidence and absolutely no proof in support of their accusations, which means the entire film hinges solely on the word of two perjurers."
Meanwhile, earlier today, Corey Feldman - a friend of Jackson's back in the 80s who stood by him as the previous allegations came to light - withdrew his support for the pop star, saying he can "no longer" defend him in the face of "serious crimes".
''I don't want to be perceived as I'm here to defend Michael Jackson, because I can no longer do that. I cannot in good consciousness defend anyone who's being accused of such horrendous crimes," Feldman said on Headline News yesterday, but stopped short of judging Jackson as "he did not do those things to [Feldman] and that was not [his] experience."
