Soulja Boy is often recognized as a forefather of rap in the internet age, but his woes on the web this year haven't stopped at dragon sex toys, with the rapper now apologizing for publishing a video promoting an anti-Semitic hate group.
As BuzzFeed News reports, a group of white supremacist internet users who refer to themselves as the Goyim Defense League (GDL) obtained and publicized videos of Soulja Boy, actor Andy Dick and ex-NFL quarterback Brett Favre though an app named Cameo, which allows users to pay celebrities to record personalized messages.
"Shoutout to Handsome Truth and Sway at GDL," Soulja Boy said in the now-deleted clip, referencing two of the group's leaders. "GDL for life, bitch."
In an email to the New York Times, Soulja Boy said he was unaware of the message's meaning, adding that he received $100 for the message. Favre and Dick have also since apologized.
"I was tricked," the rapper said. "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."
The Times reports that Cameo has since banned the account that requested the videos following BuzzFeed's initial report. App developers are also building a database of language that could be associated with hate groups and plan to flag messages that could be deemed problematic.
As BuzzFeed News reports, a group of white supremacist internet users who refer to themselves as the Goyim Defense League (GDL) obtained and publicized videos of Soulja Boy, actor Andy Dick and ex-NFL quarterback Brett Favre though an app named Cameo, which allows users to pay celebrities to record personalized messages.
"Shoutout to Handsome Truth and Sway at GDL," Soulja Boy said in the now-deleted clip, referencing two of the group's leaders. "GDL for life, bitch."
In an email to the New York Times, Soulja Boy said he was unaware of the message's meaning, adding that he received $100 for the message. Favre and Dick have also since apologized.
"I was tricked," the rapper said. "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."
The Times reports that Cameo has since banned the account that requested the videos following BuzzFeed's initial report. App developers are also building a database of language that could be associated with hate groups and plan to flag messages that could be deemed problematic.