Soulja Boy Apologizes for Offensive Lyrics

Finally, Soulja Boy came to his senses. After upsetting US Army military personnel and veterans on “Let’s Be Real,” and hearing disappointed statements from the likes of Fred A. Flores, commissioner of the L.A. County Veteran’s Advisory Commission, he issued a public apology through a statement on Global Grind.

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.

As a young man who grew up in the post-9/11 era, I have watched our country fight two wars that seem like they are never going to end. I have seen thousands and thousands of our brave men and women get killed in battle and often times, I think for what? A lot of people in this country are struggling to make ends meet and I think a lot about what if we had never gone to war. Where would our economy be? Our schools, our after-school and work programs, our streets? I mean, damn, 48 people got shot in New York City just this past weekend … in 3 days … I’m not saying that it is just because of a bad economy, but at a certain point we have to take care of our own people.

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.

— Soulja Boy

Whatever you agree with Soulja Boy’s heartfelt words, he sounds acutely aware of the turmoil overseas and genuinely believes incidents like the disturbing surge of gun violence this past weekend in a post-9/11 era are unacceptable. While we’ve heard other artists like Immortal Technique voice their opinions on the US’s military actions, its Soulja Boy’s starpower and influence within our youth that makes this apology a start towards forgiveness.