Days after the family of Emmett Till threatened to put pressure on Mountain Dew to drop Lil Wayne for his disrespectful use of Emmett Till's name in a rap song, Lil Wayne acknowledges the family's pain but stops short of apologizing...
Back in February the family of Emmett Till asked Lil Wayne for an apology for using Emmett Till's name to describe a brutal sex act on a remix of Future's Karate Chop [click here if you missed that].
The lyric was pulled by Epic Records and the label issued an apology but Lil Wayne remained mum.
Three days after the family of Emmett Till threatened to target his sponsors, Lil Wayne issued this statement:
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
