Since Justin Bieber‘s racist joke video was leaked online, the Canadian pop star has been looking for some support.
He’s been extremely remorseful, issuing a Twitter statement acknowledging his foul words, blaming it on his young age and not knowing any better.
Since then, some of Bieber’s more high profile black friends have to come defend him, with the loudest being boxing champion Floyd Mayweather.
“Justin has been nothing but kind to me, my daughters and sons over the years. We all make mistakes when we are young, it’s part of growing up,” Mayweather said in a tweet supporting the pop singer. “I am proud of what he’s doing as a 20 year old musician and business man. #TMT”
Like Mayweather, Atlanta rapper Soulja Boy considers Justin Bieber an associate too, but that didn’t stop him from calling the “Baby Singer” after TMZ leaked the racist video.
“It’s a very serious and touchy situation,” the “Crank Dat” rapper said. “Justin is a friend of mine, so it’s a different perspective for someone who’s just looking as a viewer.”
Soulja explained to theGrio.com’s Kyle Harvey that his phone conversation with Bieber was an honest one, with Bieber gaining the “Pretty Boy Swag” emcee respect for being honest about the situation.
“I respect him for giving an apology because most people wouldn’t even care,” Soulja said. “It would be different if he said it yesterday, you know? We all made mistakes growing up. I’ve made mistakes when I was younger. So for him to issue an apology, it shows a lot.”
Bieber recruited Soulja Boy for his 2010 song “Rich Girl,” and even through his latest string of bad public relations moves, his relationship with Bieber still remains solid.
“He’s still my friend, and I’ll continue to support him,” Soulja said. “But I feel like he knows he messed up. So as long as he knows that wasn’t the right thing to say, it’s fine with me.”
You can check out Kyle’s musical coverage on theGrio music page and follow Kyle on Twitter @HarveyWins.