LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Rapper Soulja Boy apologized on Tuesday for lyrics that offended some U.S. Army soldiers, but media outlets reported that stores run by the military will not carry his new album because of the song.
Soulja Boy, in a video posted online for a song called "Let's Be Real," rapped the lyrics "Fuck the FBI and fuck all the Army troops/Fighting for what?/Bitch be your own man."
Soulja Boy backed away from his lyrics in the song "Let's Be Real," in a blog post on Tuesday at GlobalGrind.com, a website founded by hip hop mogul Russell Simmons.
"When I expressed my frustration with the U.S. Army, not only did my words come out wrong, I was wrong to even speak them," Soulja Boy wrote in the post.
The 21-year-old rapper, whose given name is DeAndre Cortez Way, first gained fame with online postings of his songs and his "Crank That" dance demonstration.
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Shrader, a spokesman for military retail network, The Exchange, told celebrity website TMZ that because of the controversy, Soulja Boy's upcoming album "Respect My Hustle" will not be carried in Exchange stores.
But the Exchange, which is formerly known as the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, will reconsider the ban if the song "Let's Be Real" is cut from the album, TMZ reported.
Shrader could not be reached for comment late on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis)
