Earlier this year, Lil Wayne generated controversy with his guest verse on a remix of Future's track "Karate Chop," on which he rapped, "Beat that pussy up like Emmett Till." Epic Records quickly apologized for this tasteless reference to Till — a black teenager who was murdered in 1955 for allegedly flirting with a white woman — and endeavoured to remove the song from the web. Now, Weezy has issued a statement in response.
In the letter, which is addressed to the Till family, Wayne doesn't explicitly apologize or even express regret for the lyric. He does, however, emphasize with the family and promise never to use Till's name in another lyric, saying, "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."
Furthermore, he acknowledges the role Till had in the early Civil Rights movement. The statement reads, "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."
So why did he reference Till in the first place? According to Wayne, "I have always been interested in word play."
When the controversial verse first came to light, Till's family requested an apology. A recent video statement from Till's family is embedded at the bottom of this page.
Read Lil Wayne's full response below.
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
In some other Lil Wayne news, TMZ reports that he landed in hospital again late last night (April 30) after having another seizure. He was released this morning.
In the letter, which is addressed to the Till family, Wayne doesn't explicitly apologize or even express regret for the lyric. He does, however, emphasize with the family and promise never to use Till's name in another lyric, saying, "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."
Furthermore, he acknowledges the role Till had in the early Civil Rights movement. The statement reads, "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."
So why did he reference Till in the first place? According to Wayne, "I have always been interested in word play."
When the controversial verse first came to light, Till's family requested an apology. A recent video statement from Till's family is embedded at the bottom of this page.
Read Lil Wayne's full response below.
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
In some other Lil Wayne news, TMZ reports that he landed in hospital again late last night (April 30) after having another seizure. He was released this morning.
