Usher’s former protégé Justin Bieber says he’s ‘benefited off black culture’
Justin Bieber wants to be part of a change.
The former Usher protégé said as much Saturday on Instagram when he said he has “benefited off of black culture.”
“I am inspired by black culture. I have benefited off of black culture,” Bieber wrote June 6. “My style, how I sing, dance, perform, and my fashion have all been influenced and inspired by black culture.
» RELATED: What is #BlackoutTuesday? The music industry's new movement
“I am committed to using my platform from this day forward to learn, to speak up about racial injustice and systemic oppression, and to identify ways to be a part of much needed change,” the star added in the post that spawned 1.4 million likes and 19,000 comments.
It's one of several postings the "Yummy" singer, who also took part in Blackout Tuesday, made in recent days. Others included posting about how to bring justice amid the killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, who was shot at least eight times by police in her home and posting about the four Minneapolis police officers being charged in the killing of George Floyd.
» RELATED: Tyler Perry, Offset and Big Boi among Atlanta celebs reacting amid ongoing protests
Bieber's remarks come amid a time when celebrities and the public at large have remarked on the current state of racial affairs amid protests following the killing of Floyd, who died in Minneapolis in May after a police officer pinned him for minutes with his knee. Protests have also called for justice among other deaths of black Americans at the hands of police, including Taylor, and the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick.
The singer's weekend post about having "benefited off of black culture" also comes years after accusations the dreadlocks Bieber once sported were a form of cultural appropriation.