Just a few days after addressing the racial controversy surrounding his protégé Justin Bieber, R&B singer Usher has made another public statement regarding the videos that have emerged of the young star making racist jokes. Speaking to People magazine, Usher once again stated that he supports Bieber and believes that these videos, which are a few years old, do not represent who Justin is now.
“At my core, I am a person that supports growth and understands without judgement, that growth often comes as a result of pain and continuous effort,” Usher writes to the magazine. “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.”
Usher’s full interview has not been published by People, but in the released portion, he also emphasizes Bieber’s immaturity at the time of the recordings.
“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,” Usher says. “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.”
