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Justin Bieber’s Atlanta Fresh Start Ahead of 20th Birthday: ‘No More Monkey Business’

By Page Mackinley
Published on: 09:14 PST, Feb 25, 2014

Justin Bieber loves monkeys.

And on Monday, he paid a random visit to Atlanta’s Zoo where he posed next to a statue of an aggressive relative of one – a gorilla – before taking photos with fans.

At some point yesterday, the singer – who has been in Atlanta since early February staying at the spaceship-designed home of record producer pal Dallas Austin – posted an Instagram of himself and the statue captioned “No more monkey business :p.”

The comment has sparked speculation as to its meaning.

Possibly a reference to Bieber’s former pet monkey Mally, the baby capuchin was seized by customs in Munich airport March after the singer failed to provide proper documentation and is now rehoused in a wildlife sanctuary in Germany.

Another option, is that the much scrutinized star is musing on his own zoo-like existence in front of the world’s lens and perhaps vowing to change that?

While another, is the idea that Bieber’s “No more monkey business” message is directed to Atlanta, Georgia.

A promise that he’s not going to cause trouble and is looking for a new, fresh start.

Bieber’s later tweets indicated he was focusing on his music and being a positive force for change in the world, and wants the world to do the same.

While E! News reports Bieber and about 10 to 15 pals partied at Tongue & Groove‘s Vice Mondays night in Atlanta for a birthday party, arriving at 12:45 pm and leaving at around 02:15 am without incident. A source told the outlet was “well behaved.”

If Bieber is starting afresh, he’s picked the right time to do it. After almost of nearly a year of incidents on and off his Believe world tour, the 19-year-old was arrested in Miami Beach for DUI while allegedly drag racing last month. Just days later he was hit with an assault charge in Toronto over an alleged December incident.

In addition, the singer is likely anxiously awaiting news of whether the Los Angeles District Attorney will charge him over an egg-assault on a neighbor’s home he is accused of.

Five days after that egg-throwing attack, Bieber’s Calabasas mansion was raided by police. Days later, moving vans were spotted by X17.com photogs who were unable to verify where they ended up.

Given Bieber is still tangled in these cases, it’s not surprising he’s looking for a new start in a not so new city where he has old friends, among them his former singing coach Jan Smith, also known as Mama J. No stranger to Atlanta, the heartthrob relocated there at age 15 with his mother to kickstart his career with manager Scooter Braun and mentor Usher, who still lives in the city’s upscale Buckhead district with his sons Naviyd, 5, and Usher Raymond V, 6.

Reportedly recording a new album in the musical alma mater he once cut My World demos in back in 2008, recent Instagams with a roll call of veteran rappers including T.I., Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, T-Pain, Kid Cudi, Rick Ross, and just dropped track “Broken“ featuring L.A.-based MC Blake Kelly, has led to talk that Bieber’s new record will be hip-hop leaning.

In five days, Atlanta will possibly be the city Bieber officially leaves his teenhood in when he turns 20.

Will the maturity and balance his life appears to be in need of be found in these Southern climes?

(Photo: Bieber, Ross, Jermaine Dupri, Wale, Diddy at ATL’s Vanquish club)

Perhaps. At any rate the kid is now getting a proper welcome.

Following a TMZ report stating Bieber was eyeing a Buckhead mansion with a view to buy, rumors flew.

Amid these, Atlanta radio station Rock 100.5’s The Regular Guys pulled off a perfect hoax and duped 33 international media outlets — including CNN, Time, TMZ, Gawker, and the BBC – into believing a group called the Buckhead Neighborhood Coalition were outraged enough to stage a 06.00 am Monday roadside protest and rage about the singer on a fake Facebook page.

As it turns out, three interns and two ‘moms’ from the radio station showed up and were outnumbered by media crew.

Bieber is now welcomed by the president of the real Buckhead Neighborhood Coalition, Sam Massell,

“If I meet him, I’ll be cordial like I would with anyone else,” the former Mayor of Atlanta told The Access Atlanta Constitution. “I suspect he has a good side.”

Others in Buckhead agree, although Justin clarified Monday via Twitter that he “never even looked at that house [in Buckhead],” after he slammed the lack of fact-checking by media outlets over the protest.

Tom Tidwell, chairman of the Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods, told MTV News,

“Buckhead takes pride in being home to many celebrities such as Sir Elton John, Usher and Shaquille O’Neal to name just a few,” he added.”Justin Bieber, like many celebrities, can live almost anywhere he wants, and Atlantans should be proud that he is considering making Buckhead his home.”

Meanwhile Adam Dayton Gibson, a 47-year-old born and bred Buckhead resident, was so incensed at some of the comments posted at the fake protest Facebook that he set up his own page, “Atlanta Welcomes Justin Bieber.”

Gibson is keen to stress that he isn’t a fan of the singer, but is a fan of personal freedom and is opposed to bullying.

Author of “My Silent Life, Life as a Stutterer,” Gibson says he was bullied as a child but eventually learned to speak with a “loud voice,” and now heads up entertainment company, Burning Bridges Talent Worldwide.

“Adults bully, just like children do sometimes,” says Gibson.”Yet none of them actually know the truth behind Bieber,”

The mission statement at Gibson’s Facebook, which is positioned underneath an American flag reads:

“As an Atlantan resident born and bred and an American, one of the great things about this country is its celebration of freedom. We would like to extend a hand of community to Justin Bieber who has returned here. This teenager has made his mistakes but we think Bieber’s move is inspired by a desire for a fresh start where he can make necessary changes. We welcome that and we welcome him to Atlanta. This young man is free, as we all are, to live where he wants. Because this is America. And if you are foreign but have paperwork to be here, that right is yours too.”

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