- Footage shows then 15-year-old grinning while telling offensive 'joke'
- He's heard asking friends 'Why are black people afraid of chainsaws?'
- Video sees one friend beg him not to say the punchline
By Fay Strang
Published: 03:41 EST, 1 June 2014 | Updated: 11:09 EST, 1 June 2014
Justin Bieber has come under fire after a video emerged today of him telling a racist joke and using the N-word.
The footage shows the then 15-year-old grinning while using the highly offensive term in an attempt to make his friends laugh.
Pop star Justin, now 20, can be heard asking his friends 'Why are black people afraid of chainsaws?'
Scroll down for video. Warning: Explicit language
Young: Justin was just 15-year-old when the video was made, he is now 20
Amused: The young pop star find his joke highly amusing
Justin, whose mentor Usher is African-American, then started making the noise of the chainsaw and concluded his 'joke' with 'Run n*****, n*****, n*****, n*****, n*****.'
It's thought the video, which sees one friend beg him not to say the punchline, has been around for some time but his camp have been keen to keep it under wraps.
A source told The Sun: 'This video is Justin Bieber and his camp's worst nightmare. Even after the year he's had – when he's never been far from controversy, this tops the lot.
Shock: Justin Bieber has been caught on camera using the N-word while telling a joke
Outrage: Justin is on Usher's record label and owes much of his success to him
'Justin has been taken under his wing by some of the best in the industry and they won't stand by him after this.
'This will be a real kick in the teeth – showing his true colours on film.'
Justin is of course signed to Usher Raymonds label RBMG Records and throughout his career he has worked closely alongside numerous African-Americans including will.i.am, Big Sean and Lil Wayne.
Mentor: Last year Justin revealed that he has weekly phone calls with Will Smith for guidance
Trouble: In January Justin was arrested for drunk driving and resisting arrest while allegedly drag racing in Miami
BAD BOY BIEBER'S INDESCRETIONS
In January Justin was arrested for drunk driving and resisting arrest while allegedly drag racing in Miami. A trial is due to begin there in July.
A month afterwards he was accused of abusing a flight attendant on a private jet until she was forced to hide in the cockpit.
The troubled teen singer and his entourage were also said to have smoked so much marijuana on the flight between Canada and New Jersey that the pilots were forced to wear oxygen masks.
He is currently being investigated by police in Los Angeles over attempted robbery claims.
The 20-year-old, who has not been arrested, was accused of robbery by an unnamed victim, police said.
Police in California also searched his home after he allegedly threw eggs at a neighbour's house.
He also has a close relationship with Jaden Smith and his father Will, who has been supportive when he has been involved in various scandals.
Last year the multi-million selling artist revealed that he took weekly phone calls from his 'mentor' Will.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter magazine, Bieber said Smith and he have counselling sessions and discuss 'any potential issues, emotional or otherwise.'
He has also been known to stand up against racism in the past and when someone criticised his choice of friends.
He wrote: 'It's not your place to judge, God put these people in my life for a reason, and just because they are African-American that makes them bad people?
'These are people that I love and all of us are going to help make the world a better place.'
A spokesperson for Justin has been contacted for comment.
Controversy: The incident is just the latest in a string for Justin, pictured in a recording studio this week, over the past few months
[embedded content]
Read more:
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
