Posted by | Cyrena Rose
RollingStone is reporting Lil Wayne continues to face the fallout for his crude lyrical reference to the slain Civil Rights figure Emmett Till: he has now been dropped as a Mountain Dew spokesman.
The controversial verse was included in a remix of Future‘s “Karate Chop” that was leaked online in February. Out of respect for the legacy of Emmett Till and his family . . . Epic Records is going through great efforts to take down the unauthorized version.
Despite Wayne issuing a public apology (letter below) for comparing a sex act to Till’s death (the teen was tortured and lynched for allegedly whistling at a white woman in 1955), and L.A. Reid, the head of Epic Records, reaching out to the Till family personally, the rapper has lost his promotion deal with Mountain Dew. Mountain Dew’s parent company, PepsiCo, issued a statement yesterday saying, “We do not plan any additional work with Lil Wayne moving forward,” reports the Chicago Tribune. “His offensive reference to a revered civil rights icon does not reflect the values of our brand.”
Unfortunately, for Lil Wayne, his apology letter (below) did not mend his verbal wound:
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
