Russell Brand and 50 Cent have come to the defence of Justin Bieber following the release of two videos of the singer making racist remarks. British comedian Russell raised the ongoing controversy surrounding the 20-year-old while talking on his YouTube channel The Trews.
© Photo: Getty ImagesReading from a newspaper that had printed Justin's apology, Russell said, "It was ages ago when he used to have that haircut. You can't do him for stuff he (has) done when he had that haircut…" Unless we're going to explicitly say the role of celebrities is we're going to make them really, really famous and then we're going to destroy them and rip then up in a public square with fish hooks, which, you know as long as you don't get round to me, I'm not against. "But we might as well own up to it if that is what we're up to, otherwise just let him off. Of course it's wrong to say the N-word, but he's a child.”
Justin was forced to issue two apologies this week after the emergence of the videos, the first of which sees him making a racist joke, and the second showing him altering the lyrics of his track One Less Lonely Girl to include racially offensive terms. The videos appear to date back five years, during the shooting of Justin’s documentary Never Say Never.
50 Cent has also weighed in on the contentious issue, insisting that the Canadian singer is "still a baby" and not a racist. Speaking to the Sun, the rapper – real name Curtis Jackson – dismissed the racism claims outright.
© Photo: Getty Images"I don't think he's racist," he said. "I don't think he even knows who he is at this point – he's so young. When you see people become huge stars really early, it's tough for them. "You have to grow up with all these expectations. I think Justin's still a baby and he's lost."
