After Emmett Till‘s family mentioned they would be pressuring Mountain Dew to drop Lil Wayne as their sponsor, Wayne has decided it is time to address the situation and issue an apology to the family.
If you didn’t already know, Weezy F Baby rapped this line on Future’s “Karate Chop” remix: “beat that pussy up like Emmett Till”. He is referencing a 14-year-old black boy who got beaten to death for whistling at a white woman back in 1955.
In the letter, which you can read below, Tunechi promises that he will never perform the lyrics live and says he supports Epic Records for censoring the Emmett Till reference in the song.
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.
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
Via MissInfo
