Media Mogul Defends Soulja Boy as Soldiers, Fans Express Outrage Over Anti-Army Song
Media mogul and rap pioneer Russell Simmons has expressed sympathy for Soulja Boy after the troubled rapper issued an apology to service members and their families for a profanity-laced song targeting the U.S. Army. Meanwhile, fans, some of them American soldiers, have taken to social media sites to express outrage with the rapper's controversial song.
Simmons, owner of the hip-hop website that published Soulja Boy's apology on Tuesday, said on his Twitter account (@UncleRUSH) that the rapper was "sincere in his apology." Simmons added that "all people say dumb ****."
Tweeting on Tuesday, Simmons also said that he was "proud of… SouljaBoy for giving this emotional apology regarding his US Army."
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The controversy stems from lyrics from a video featuring the song "Let's Be Real" that was published on the Internet. In the song, Soulja Boy raps "[expletive] the FBI and the army troops ... fighting for what? Be your own man…"
Despite Soulja Boy's apology and efforts by his management team and record label to track down and delete copies of the song and video from the Internet, the fall-out seemed widespread.
There were reports that some officials have banned sales of Soulja Boy's album from stores operated by the U.S. military.
The public took to Soulja Boy's Twitter and Facebook pages to lash out at the rapper, calling his anti-Army lyrics in "Let's Be Real" disrespectful.
Nathan A Bryant Jr. (@DirkN8witzki) tweeted, "Soulja boy just lost alot of fans because of that "[expletive] the army troops" line on his new track! that was kinda disrespectful!"
U.S. military members were among those expressing outrage with Soulja Boy's "Let's Be Real" song.
A member of the U.S. Air Force Civil Air Patrol, Carmen Pena (@PROUDARMYNIECE) tweeted, "Did anyone hear the new soulja boy song LETS BE REAL ??? HE DOESNT DESERVE RESPECT, HOW DARE YOU SAY " [EXPLETIVE] OUR ARMY TROOPS " SCREW YOU !"
Another commenter, apparently a service member, wrote on a Facebook group page titled "Soulja Boy" (not the rapper's official page), wrote, "I'd like to drag your scared cryin little gangster *** through a combat zone and watch you beg for us to keep your *** from getting blown off."
The Facebook user was identified as Travis John Burril.
On Tuesday, Soulja Boy issued an apology through hip-hop website, GlobalGrind, which reads:
As an artist, I let my words get the best of me. Sometimes there are things that we feel, things that we want to express, and when we put them on paper and speak them out loud, they can come out wrong. When I expressed my frustration with the US Army, not only did my words come out wrong, I was wrong to even speak them. So, I write this to give my sincerest apology to all members of the United States military services, as well as their families that were offended by my most recent lyrics.
The rapper went on to comment on what it has been like growing up in the post-9/11 generation and his views on the thousands of deaths of U.S. service members in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He concluded in the statement:
In no way would I ever want to offend those who are protecting our freedoms ... a lot of homeboys who I grew up with, a lot of people who come from the neighborhoods we live in ... In no way do I want to hurt any of our honorable soldiers who put their lives at risk, regardless of how they feel about the two wars we fight in. I am just frustrated that we haven't been able to bring you all home quick enough and my frustration got the best of me. I am deeply sorry.
A representative for Soulja Boy told TMZ Wednesday that "Let's Be Real" was never cleared for inclusion on any album, adding that the song will never be available for purchase.
Soulja Boy, whose real name is DeAndre Cortez Way, first gained fame when his "Superman" dance from the 2007 "Crank That" video attracted worldwide attention.
