Lil Wayne Releases Public Apology To The Family Of Emmett Till
Months after a firestorm over his vulgar verse on ‘Karate Chop,’ Young Money President Lil Wayne breaks his silence and apologizes to the family of slain civil rights figure Emmett Till. In a letter sent to the Till family, which they released to the public Wednesday, the Young Money leader atoned for the controversial line taken from a remix of the hit “Karate Chop” by Atlanta rapper Future that was released earlier this year. “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,” he wrote. “I would like to take a moment to acknowledge your hurt, as well as the letter you sent to me via your attorneys.” Although the lyrics are unprintable, the line in question saw him compare his sexual prowess to the 1955 assault of Till — a 14-year-old African American who was tortured and killed after reportedly whistling at a white woman during a family visit in Mississippi. It put a spotlight on civil rights issues when Till’s mother insisted on an open-casket funeral service to show the public the condition his body had been left in. Epic Records Chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid apologized to Till’s family and had the reference removed (Future is signed to Epic). But that was in February, and Wayne continued to remain silent, despite demands from the Till family for him to make a public apology. Now that the rapper has rebounded from a March hospitalization for multiple seizures (he reportedly went back to Cedars-Sinai on Tuesday night for another seizure). In his letter, Wayne wrote that he not only supported Reid’s decision but also vowed that he would “not be performing the lyrics that contain that reference live and have removed them from my catalogue.” PHOTOS: Rapper Lil Wayne a.k.a. Dwayne Carter Wayne isn’t the only rapper to be in the hot seat this year over offensive lyrics. Rick Ross faced a backlash over lyrics that seemingly promoted date rape. He offered a casual apology, but women’s rights groups put pressure on Reebok to drop the rapper as a spokesman. The athletic company eventually severed ties and Ross issued a lengthy atonement. Although we won’t link the verse (it’s still easy to find out there), Wanye’s letter can be read in full below:
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