Justin Bieber called out for "tone-deaf" MLK interlude on Justice album

19 March 2021, 11:14

Hailey Bieber roasts Justin Bieber in interview

By Sam Prance

Justin Bieber is coming under fire for using Martin Luther King Jr. speeches on an album that has little to do with MLK.

Justin Bieber is facing backlash for incorporating excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr. speeches into his new Justice album.

Today (Mar 19), Justin Bieber released his sixth studio album Justice. Describing the LP on Instagram, Justin wrote: "I know that I cannot simply solve injustice by making music but I do know that if we all do our part by using our gifts to serve this planet and each other that we are that much closer to being united. This is me doing a small part. My part."

The project is filled with love songs dedicated to Justin's wife Hailey Bieber. However, it opens with a Martin Luther King Jr. quote, and it even includes an 'MLK interlude'. People are now calling Justin "tone-deaf" for using Martin Luther King Jr. within Justice when the content of the record has little to do with MLK, civil rights or social change.

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'2 Much' begins with Martin Luther King Jr. saying: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". The quote is taken from MLK's 'Letter From Birmingham Jail'. The song, however, is a love song. Meanwhile, Justin's 'MLK Interlude' is a full excerpt from MLK's 'But If Not' sermon in which he says: "You died when you refused to stand up for justice."

Criticising Justin, one person tweeted: "justin bieber profiting off of the civil rights movement as a white man is weird. his album is called ‘justice’ and has an MLK interlude but speaks nowhere of social justice, and is focused on love & relationships... huh?"

Another added: "white people using MLK's speech as an aesthetic is so tone-deaf and performative justin wtf ?"

Alongside the new album, Justin has set up a competition to raise money for organisations, including The Martin Luther King Jr. Center and the Anti-Recidivism Coalition. All fans have to do is donate to any of the causes he's selected and they could be in a chance with winning his merch, a signed guitar or tickets to his tour in 2022.

However, none of the proceeds from Justin's new merch or his Justice album actually go towards any of these causes and it's unclear what Justin has donated himself.

What do you think of Justin's 'MLK Interlude'?