An anti-Semitic video starring Soulja Boy has hit the internet. However, he claims he was tricked into making it.
Soulja made the video on Cameo, a platform that connects fans to celebrities and allows them to request personalized video messages from stars for a price, BuzzFeed News reports. The fans write the messages they'd like to commission, and if the celebrity accepts the assignment, they have a few days to make the video. After the footage is sent, the celebrity receives a payment. Soulja Boy charges $100 per video.
A hate group called the Goyim Defense League (GDL) took advantage of this system by commissioning coded anti-Semitic videos from celebrities. "Goyim" means "non-Jew" in Hebrew.
“Shoutout to Handsome Truth and Sway at GDL,” Soulja said in his video. Handsome Truth and Sway are the GDL members believed to have masterminded the celebrity cosigns.
The rapper requested viewers check out the men's music and Truth's YouTube page before signing off, “GDL for life, b***h.”
The artist now claims he was fooled.
“I was tricked,” Soulja Boy told The New York Times. “I apologize to anyone I offended. I thought it was just a shoutout for a fan. I didn’t know it had a negative meaning behind it."
A spokesperson from the rapper’s camp echoed Soulja's claims.
“Soulja Boy was unaware that the video on Cameo was tied to a group that promotes hate,” the spokesperson said. “The promo video was what the Cameo had directed and in no way supports his personal beliefs. He greatly apologizes to anyone who may have been offended.”
Soulja Boy wasn't the only star fooled by the scheme. Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre and comedian Andy Dick also recorded messages on behalf of the GDL. Their videos not only endorsed the group but were also riddled with language considered to be anti-Semitic dog whistles. Both men have apologized and denounced both the GDL and hate speech in general.
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