50 Cent, pictured on Wenesday, insists singer Justin Bieber is 'still a baby'

Rapper 50 Cent has weighed into the contentious Justin Bieber racism storm by insisting the Canadian singer is ‘still a baby’ - but not a racist.

Bieber, 20, faces a career threatening backlash following the emergence of two damning videos in which he uses the N-word, first while cracking a racist joke and, in a second piece of footage, while modifying the lyrics to his hit single, One Less Lonely Girl.

Speaking exclusively to Jennifer O’Brien of The Sun, 50 Cent – real name Curtis Jackson – dismisses racism claims outright.

He's no racist: 50 Cent, pictured on Wenesday, insists singer Justin Bieber is 'still a baby'

‘I don’t think he’s racist,’ he said. ‘I don’t think he even knows who he is at this point – he’s so young. When you see people become huge stars real early, it’s tough for them.’

He added: ‘You have to grow up with all these expectations. I think Justin’s still a baby and he’s lost.'

 

The rapper speaks from experience, having spent time with Bieber during Floyd Mayweather, Jr’s super welterweight boxing triumph against Miguel Cotton at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas two years ago.

Referring to their meeting, he described the Beauty and the Beat singer as a ‘young kid who just wanted to chill.’

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Bieber is said to be devastated by the emergence of the video footage, which was recorded when he was a raw 14-year-old talent.

A source close to the singer told MailOnline 'Justin's been in tears. But he knows he needs to take responsibility for his actions, he's confronting his past and he's hanging out with his real friends and his parents.

The hit-maker was caught on camera in a video released by TMZ, changing the words of his song One Less Lonely Girl to sing 'one less lonely n*****' - and joking about joining white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan.

He has since apologised, telling The Sun: 'Facing my mistakes from years ago has been one of the hardest things I've ever dealt with.

'But I feel now that I need to take responsibility for those mistakes and not let them linger. At the end of the day, I just need to step up and own what I did.'

Rubbing shoulders: 50 Cent got to know Bieber at the Mayweather Jr-Cotto super welterweight bout in Las Vegas two years ago