Justified or Controversial?
Justin Bieber released his sixth album two weeks ago, and it’s got us jamming. Justice, the 22-song album, features amazing guest appearances and is full of heartfelt love songs we can only assume are about Hailey. She’s a lucky lady. Despite a tough past, it seems like Justin has turned over a new leaf and is happily living his best life as a married man.
Justice definitely has some certified bops, but the album includes more than just music. Justin decided to add clips of Martin Luther King Jr. speaking to some of the tracks, sparking a lot of controversy. “2 Much,” the first song on the album, starts with King’s voice quoting his “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” The seventh track on the album, “MLK Interlude,” is simply an excerpt of one of King’s sermons.
Bieber tweeted that he wanted to “continue the conversation of what justice looks like so we can continue to heal.” The idea was well-intended in spirit but was not executed well at all, making us wonder what everyone involved was thinking? This choice did not inspire conversation about racial injustice or anything King fought for, it simply attached his legacy to an album full of songs about love and the troubles of growing up in the public eye. It almost feels like King’s voice is being used as an accessory to show support for the Black Lives Matter Movement and position Justin as an activist for change, and it seems a bit tone-deaf.
The first thing heard on the album is King’s voice saying “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” What follows has nothing to do with that powerful quote. “2 Much” is a sweet song touching on the kind of love that consumes you, but we’re thoroughly confused on how that message aligns with the injustice King is referencing? The same goes for the two songs surrounding “MLK Interlude.” With Justin using King as a statement piece on this album, we’d hoped he would actually say something meaningful. The conversations we’re hearing are conspiracies about him writing songs for Selena, not anything related to challenging racial injustice.
Luckily, Justin does do a good job of supporting several social injustice organizations. Bernice King, Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, made sure to note this on Twitter after critics started to come forward. Despite Justice being a missed opportunity to say something important, Justin has used the album to bring attention to organizations that are fighting to fix injustice, and it’s better than nothing.