R&B star Usher has finally broke his silence and is defending Justin Bieber in the wake of two racist videos that leaked online this month.

The veteran crooner, who is Bieber's longtime mentor, went on Instagram Saturday (June 7) to show his support for the embattled pop star. In his post, Usher insisted that Bieber is not a racist. He writes:

At my core, I am a person that supports growth and understands without judgement, that growth often comes as a result of pain and continues effort. As I have watched Justin Bieber navigate difficult waters as a young man, I can tell you that he hasn't always chosen the path of his greatest potential, but he is unequivocally not a racist.

What he was 5 years ago was a naive child who did not understand the negative power and degradation that comes from playing with racial slurs. What he is now is a young man faced with an opportunity to become his best self, an example to the millions of kids that follow him to not make the same mistakes."

The two videos in question featured a 15-year-old Bieber making racist jokes and singing his hit 'One Less Lonely Girl,' but replacing the word “girl” with the N-word.

Bieber has since apologized for the crude jokes he's made in the videos. In an apologetic letter, the 'Looking For You' singer stated, “As a young man, I didn’t understand the power of certain words and how they can hurt. I thought it was OK to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but didn’t realize at the time that it wasn’t funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance.”

In addition to Usher, Young Money executive Mack Maine has also voiced his support for Bieber.

What do you think of Usher's statement? Tell us in the comments below.

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