UPDATE: Wednesday 8:10 PM EST
A rep for Emmett Till’s family has responded to Lil Wayne’s apology from earlier today. The Till family is still not satisfied.
Airickca Gordon-Taylor, founding director of the Mamie Till Mobley Memorial Foundation and Till Family Representative, told TMZ earlier today:
“While it’s commendable that he has vowed to respect the legacy of Emmett Till and his memory to ‘not use or reference Emmett Till or the Till family in his music,’ this statement falls short of an apology, as none is mentioned.”
Only time will tell if we get another apology from Wayne.
SOURCE: TMZ
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Rappers say the darndest things sometimes.
Before Rick Ross got in trouble for rapping all rapey, there was Lil Wayne, who caught heat for his lyrics on Future’s “Karate Chop (Remix).”
On the song, Lil Wayne raps this line:
“Beat that p*ssy up like Emmett Till.”
Emmett Till was a black 14-year-old boy who was beat and murdered in 1955 after whistling at a white woman. So understandably, Till’s family came out against the song, forcing Epic to edit the line out.
The controversy wasn’t over. Earlier this week, Emmett Till’s fam demanded that Mountain Dew drop the rapper from his sponsorship deal, similar to how Reebok dropped Rick Ross after his rape line on Rocko’s “U.O.E.N.O.”
After all of that, Tunechi has finally decided to respond. Earlier today, the rapper released a letter officially apologizing for his lyrics.
Read the letter below. Did he do enough?
“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”
Source: MissInfo
