In an explosive interview, Lil Twist has claimed that he took drug charges for Justin Bieber early in the singer’s career, to cover for him and keep his image clean.
He made the allegations in an interview with Philadelphia podcaster and radio personality Mina SayWhat, and claimed that Bieber’s team arranged the cover-up in the early 2010s.
He said:
“If they would have put weed charges on Justin in his early career, it would have been bad on him. So I got a call one day saying, ‘Twist, do you really love this kid?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ They said, ‘Cool, if you love him then you can take the heat for him because you can come off a little weed charge. You’re associated with Lil Wayne. You’re a rapper.’”
Lil Twist said that publicity became “overwhelming” and hindered his career, although he still loves Justin Bieber. You can see the relevant section of the interview below:
In the wake of the allegations, Twist went on to release a statement, saying:
“We are at a very critical point in society as we rewrite a new narrative that encompasses the experience of being Black in America. However, rewriting a new narrative requires one to stand in and speak his or her truth with confidence. While promoting my TV show [Growing Up Hip-Hop], the subject of certain events with Bieber were brought up, and in the spirit of being authentic, I felt it a disservice to my fans and the general public to not be completely transparent about my experience. I believe that if you truly support the Black Lives Matter movement, Black people, and Black culture, your actions have to reflect that.”
Justin Bieber recently admitted that his career has benefited heavily from black culture. He has not yet made a statement on the Lil Twist interview.
