Better late than never.
A few months ago, the family of civil rights’ figure Emmett Till expressed their disappointment with Lil Wayne for using Emmet’s name in the offensive lyric,”beat the p-ssy up like Emmett Till.” Although they lobbied for an apology, they never received one personally from Lil Wayne, and as time went by the issue seemed to have been swept under the rug.
This week, Emmett’s family decided they would try to hit Wayne where it hurts –his pockets, and after they requested that his biggest sponsor Mountain Dew drop him from his endorsement, they received the apology they were waiting for. In a statement to the Till family, Wayne wrote:
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
Wayne probably just missed getting the axe from Mountain Dew, however, it makes you wonder if the recent controversies surrounding rap lyrics will force rappers backed by big corporations to start censoring their lyrics. Probably not…
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