Usher speaks! The latest Justin Bieber controversy, involves two videos that leaked one after the other of the singer using the N word. In the first, 15 year old Justin tells a dumb joke. In the other video, shot the year before. Justin turns one of his own hit songs into a tune about the KKK.
Justin quickly apologized for both (although, most would agree, the second video was much worse than the first) and there are reports that both videos have been floating around for years, with gossip sites like TMZ using the videos to “extort” Justin for access.
Now, Justin’s “mentor,” Usher, has come to his defence. As a caption to a photo posted to instagram, the singer/producer/songwriter and The Voice coach writes:
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.
To be honest, I’m not convinced Justin is a racist. Middle school boys can be especially immature. Using language for shock value isn’t an uncommon tactic used by boys of that age.
However, I’m fairly convinced that Justin is a dumb ass, and don’t expect this to be the end of his entertaining controversies. He’s just the gift that keeps on giving!
