US rapper Soulja Boy has sparked controversy after he gave a shout out to American slave masters at an awards ceremony in Atlanta.

The 18-year-old rapper, who became a YouTube sensation last year, made the statement after being asked by Toure, a former Rolling Stone journalist, what historical figure he hated the most.

When Toure prompted him that other musicians had said “Hitler, bin Laden, the slave masters...,” Soulja Boy said: "Oh wait! Hold up! Shout out to the slave masters! Without them we'd still be in Africa. We wouldn't be here to get this ice and tattoos."

Soulja Boy's response been criticised by numerous bloggers since a transcript of the interview, conducted at the BET Hip Hop awards, was published on the Daily Beast.

But his fans have defended the rapper, blaming his statement on his youthful inexperience.

In January, Soulja Boy became the first artist to sell more than 3 million copies of a song via digital download.

He initially released his music through YouTube before signing with Interscope records.

(by Jason Gregory)