After refusing to respond to questions regarding the video that popped up on the net of a 15 year old Justin Bieber making some very unfunny racist jokes, plus remixing one of his very own songs into a KKK anthem, Usher has finally made a statement. Find out what Bieber’s mentor had to say after the jump!
Usher, who wrote “One Less Lonely Girl” for Biebs who then remixed it into a little KKK jingle, took to Instagram today to come to his protégé’s defense, saying that the jokes were just a product of his youthful naivety. But at 15, I’m pretty sure you should know the difference between right and wrong, just saying. Whether he’s actually racist or not, it doesn’t take away from the racist nature of what he said and the unapologetic way he said it at the time. I mean really, if it was anyone else, would these reactions be the same?
While all of entertainment seemed to want to weigh in on the subject, mostly coming to Bieber defense, including statements from Nick Cannon, Mike Tyson, Soulja Boy and Floyd Mayweahter, others in the rap game seem to disagree. Ice Cube, Lupe Fiasco and Lord Jamar all expressed their disappointment in the Bieb’s young ignorance.
Check out Usher Raymond’s post below:
“At my core, I am a person that supports growth and understands without judgement, that growth often comes as a result of pain and continues effort. As I have watched Justin Bieber navigate difficult waters as a young man, I can tell you that he hasn’t always chosen the path of his greatest potential, but he is unequivocally not a racist. What he was 5 years ago was a naive child who did not understand the negative power and degradation that comes from playing with racial slurs. What he is now is a young man faced with an opportunity to become his best self, an example to the millions of kids that follow him to not make the same mistakes.”
SOURCE: XXL
