After Serious Threats, Lil Wayne Issues Heartfelt Open Apology

Written By S. Samuel

Grammy-winning rapper Lil Wayne has released an open apology to the family of late civil rights icon Emmett Till in light of them trying to have him Mountain Dew drop his endorsement deal.

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In the apology letter, Weezy F. Baby vows to never make mention of Emmett or the Till family in his music.

“Dear Till Family:

As a recording artist, I have always been interested in word play. My lyrics often reference people, places and events in my music, as well as the music that I create for or alongside other artists.

It has come to my attention that lyrics from my contribution to a fellow artist’s song has deeply offended your family. As a father myself, I cannot imagine the pain that your family has had to endure. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge your hurt, as well as the letter you sent to me via your attorneys.

Moving forward, I will not use or reference Emmett Till or the Till family in my music, especially in an inappropriate manner. I fully support Epic Record’s decision to take down the unauthorized version of the song and to not include the reference in the version that went to retail. I will not be performing the lyrics that contain that reference live and have removed them from my catalogue.” (Statement)

Wayne also reminded the Till family he is a huge supporter of Black rights and would never do anything to damage their community.

“I have tremendous respect for those who paved the way for the liberty and opportunities that African-Americans currently enjoy. As a business owner who employs several African-American employees and gives philanthropically to organizations that help youth to pursue their dreams my ultimate intention is to uplift rather than degrade our community.

Best, Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. Lil Wayne (Statement)

Recently, the Till family stepped forward and demanded the Young Money head suffer the consequence of his lyrics by losing endorsement deals.

Earlier this month, several of Till’s family members and the Mamie Till Mobley Memorial Foundation released a YouTube video that criticized the controversial lyric and expressed their opposition to Wayne’s endorsement deal with Mountain Dew. “We also support blocking and banning the endorsements. I’ve maintained through February, ‘Don’t do the Dew.’ His biggest endorsement is through Pepsi’s Mountain Dew. Stop buying it, stop lining his pockets. People are outraged because they feel that he should apologize to our family,” a Till representative said to camera. (News One)

Back in Februay, Wayne’s controversial Till reference off Atlanta rapper Future’s “Karate Chop” remix was removed by Epic Records.

Lil Wayne is in hot water today following his guest spot on Future’s “Karate Chop (Remix),” which dropped earlier this week. Weezy’s guest spot on that track involved one particular lyric that raised a few eyebrows: “Pop a lot of pain pills/Bout to put rims on my skateboard wheels/Beat that p*ssy up like Emmett Till” Emmett Till, of course, was a 14-year-old African American boy who was tortured and killed in 1955 for whistling at a white woman in Mississippi. The family of Till was unsurprisingly offended by the lyric and, with the aid of Rev. Jesse Jackson, is asking for its removal from the song. Last night the label issued the following apology for the track: “We regret the unauthorized remix version of Future’s ‘Karate Chop,’ which was leaked online and contained hurtful lyrics. Out of respect for the legacy of Emmett Till and his family and the support of the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. … we are going through great efforts to take down the unauthorized version.” (Complex)

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Written by S. Samuel

Steven Samuel is the co-founder of SOHH.com.

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