Justin Bieber Slammed For Using MLK’s Words In Album, Daughter Comes To His Defense

Justin Bieber‘s new album Justice has sparked controversy for sampling Martin Luther King Jr. speeches amid an album of unrelated songs about Bieber’s past and how much he loves his wife.

The album, released on March 19, begins with a clip of the late King saying, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” before heading into the song “2 Much” about the singer’s wife, Hailey Bieber. The seventh track on the album is titled “MLK Interlude,” and is an almost two-minute clip of King’s “But If Not” sermon. That’s followed by the song “Die For You,” also about Bieber’s love for his wife.

Some listeners found the MLK samples odd and out of place, while others thought the clips were more than just confusing. Across social media, people called out Bieber for what they saw as insensitive random inclusions of King’s speeches.

“Bieber has an interlude on his new album called ‘MLK interlude’ and it‘s a clip of a MLK speech and then it moves into a song…. about his love for… hailey?” wrote one Twitter user.

“Justin bieber using mlk speeches about justice… to sing about his white wife?” questioned another user, before tweeting, “imma still listen no shade but did no one think maybe we shouldn’t do that 💀,” and then adding, “actually i can’t even listen to it i cannot believe no one saw this as a problem yalll yt people must be stopped.”

It is clear though that there are many fans of Justice. It took over all Top 10 spots on Spotify’s Global Song Debuts over the weekend, and reached no. 1 on Apple Music charts in a record 120 countries.

Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., is apparently among the fans of the album. King celebrated Bieber’s efforts to support “organizations that embody what justice looks like in action.” Bieber has set up a chance to win “the ultimate Justin Bieber experience” for fans who support organizations like the Anti-Recidivism Center, The Compton Pledge, The Poor People’s Campaign and The King Center.

“Each of us, including artists and entertainers, can do something. Thank you, @justinbieber, for your support, in honor of #Justice, of @TheKingCenter’s work and of our #BeLove campaign, which is a part of our global movement for justice. #MLK #EndRacism,” King tweeted.