Sitting at No. 47 on the Billboard top 100 following its release last week, "Falling Down" by XXXTentacion and Lil Peep continues to surge up the charts and grow in popularity. While the track is masterfully edited and carries a powerful message, it once again opens the debate presented by the creation of Drake's early summer hit "Don't Matter to Me" featuring Michael Jackson.

Following the release of Drake's album, Scorpion, his use of a previously unreleased sample from the King of Pop was met with mixed emotions. While many fans of Jackson felt Drake's choice to use the sample was innovative and exciting, some felt it infringed upon what Jackson would have desired with his art, and that Drake should never have altered an unfinished piece.

Namely, in a discussion with reporters from TMZ, Jackson's nephew, Austin Brown, voiced that he was upset with Drake's choice to use the sample, and while he feels Drake is an extremely talented artist, "that if [Jackson] didn't finish it, you shouldn't use it."

Drake's use of the sample fell within the legal bounds of his right to the song, but it does bring into question whether the use of artists unreleased tracks following their deaths is ethically wrong. Though myself, along with many other fans of both Jackson and Drake, feel that in Drake's intent to honor Jackson the use of the sample was totally justifiable, music is one of the most personal aspects of an artist's life, and the choice to alter it when they are no longer there to stand by the decision remains debatable.

The right to release music from a deceased artist resides namely with their record label, many times the label choosing to release music which was never meant to be heard, simply for financial gain. But, there have been a number of artists whose post-death work has sealed their name into legitimacy and been loved by fans everywhere. For example, if an artist was to pass shortly before the release of an album they've been preparing for years, is it worth it for a record label to bury it due to the artist not being able to finish the final touches?

While it may seem wrong to release the private, unreleased vocals of an artist when they no longer have a say in its production, depending on the intent of the label, it can create a moving and impassioned song for the fan base. In Jackson's case, "Don't Matter to Me" became a centerpiece to Drake's album, and while some feel it did not artistically do justice, the majority of fans enjoyed getting another brief look into his artistry.

Likewise, "Falling Down" first received skepticism upon its announcement as a corporate ploy to earn post-passing revenue off two immerging artists. Unlike "Don't Matter to Me," the collaboration between Lil Peep and XXX was sponsored by their families to honor them following their tragic deaths, in 2017 and 2018 respectively. The family of XXX felt that his passion and excitement for the song prior to his death justified the production, and used the hit produced by John Cunningham as a means for honor and remembrance of the two talented, young artists.

Myself being a fan of both men, "Falling Down" paints a perfect memory of the two. Both artists were not afraid to push boundaries and musical genres, constantly testing their abilities and forging new, progressive styles which would likely have shaped the music of our generation. The psychedelic, melodic flow of the song and powerful lyrics perfectly describe fans feelings following their deaths, and the song is a masterpiece which sadly could have been lost.

While post-death work does create some ethical dilemmas, the support of the artists family goes a long way to ease those pains. In the case of "Falling Down," it will help me remember the lives and work of two men whose music carried me through the end of my high school experience, and whose other hits such as "SAD!," "Jocelyn Flores," and "Awful Things" continue to captivate our generation today.