S. Samuel
Grammy-winning rapper Lil Wayne may not be hurting over losing Mountain Dew as a sponsor, however, the Young Money boss still issued an open apology for controversial Emmett Till lyrics during a recent live concert.
Footage of Weezy F. Baby apologizing to the Till family for his “Karate Chop” remix line emerged over the weekend.
Lil Wayne has seen himself involved in lots of controversy over the last few months, and none gained him more infamy than his Emmett Till line on “Karate Chop.” Now Weezy has changed the lyrics, and apologized to the Till family. After coming under fire from fans, critics, and other members of the media, and eventually losing some major sponsorships due to the controversial lyric, Tunechi had shown remorse and regretted offending people by evoking the face of young Till’s brutal death. Now at a recent performance in Nashville, Tennesse, the YMCMB talent changed up his lyrics while performing “Karate Chop” and said, “I apologize to the family of Emmett Till.” (Hot New Hip Hop)
Buzz behind Mountain Dew’s parent company PepsiCo parting ways with the mega rap star heated up the Internet in early May.
PepsiCo is cutting its ties with Lil Wayne after the rapper made a crude reference to civil rights martyr Emmett Till in a song. Lil Wayne, one of the biggest stars in pop music, had a deal to promote the company’s Mountain Dew soda. Earlier this week, PepsiCo also pulled an online ad for the neon-colored soda that was criticized for portraying racial stereotypes and making light of violence toward women. The ad was developed by rapper Tyler, the Creator. (Billboard)
Both Wayne’s camp and PepsiCo immediately issued statements on their publicized separation.
PepsiCo Inc. said in a statement late Friday that Wayne’s “offensive reference to a revered civil rights icon does not reflect the values of our brand.” It declined to provide any further comment. A publicist for Lil Wayne, Sarah Cunningham, said that the split was due to “creative differences” and that it was an amicable parting. “That’s about all I can tell you at this time,” she said. (Mercury News)
Earlier this year, Atlanta rapper T.I. shared a stern stance when asked for his take on the situation and, specifically, thoughts on Pepsi Co., Inc. taking back its endorsement deal from Wayne.
“Endorsements come from corporations,” T.I. said when asked for his take on controversial lyrics hurting hip-hop artists’ endorsement deals. “Corporations, that’s outside dollars. You know what I’m saying? That’s money that you would not normally be making if you were not associated with this brand. So if you’re going to be associated with this brand, you’re going to have to be associated with this brand and have them, you know, be associated with pride in whatever it is you do. So, it’s kind of like you got to be mindful of the things you say if you choose to take in money from outside sources. But me knowing [Lil Wayne], I know [he] ain’t mean no harm in what he said. He was just kicking flav. You got to really be in our life and of our lifestyle to understand how we can kinda unplug and — be on our own sh*t sometimes.” (“Hoodrich Radio”)
