One of Jackson’s most controversial and iconic songs, “They Don’t Care About Us,” was accompanied by an equally provocative music video, directed by filmmaker Spike Lee.
Organizing and shooting the video, released in 1996, was an extensive process. State authorities originally tried to ban Jackson from filming in Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, fearing that depictions of poverty might affect the country’s tourism rate, and accused Jackson of exploiting the poor.
A judge banned Jackson from filming, but the ruling was eventually overturned by an injunction. While the government was reluctant to let Jackson shoot in Brazil, residents seemed more open to the idea. A real-life fan broke onto the shoot and hugged Jackson, causing him to fall, but the incident made it into the music video.
For the first time in his career, Jackson made a second music video for a single, this time shooting in a prison with cellmates. The second edition contains real footage of police attacking African Americans, the military crackdown of the protests in Tiananmen Square, the Ku Klux Klan, the assassination attempt of George Wallace and other human rights abuse cases.
In 2020, Lee created a third music video that incorporated parts of both the Brazil and prison versions, along with footage from the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests and an aerial view of Washington D.C.’s Black Lives Matter Plaza.
Before that, Jackson directed the music video for “This Is It,” which was released after Jackson’s death in 2009. Almost five minutes long, the music video featured various scenes of Jackson’s hometown and former residence in Gary, Indiana, along with photos and videos of him and tributes from his fans around the world.
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