Lil Wayne's Letter Was No Apology, Says Emmett Till Rep
Lil Wayne's open letter acknowledging the pain his lyrics have caused the Emmett Till family was not enough, according to the relatives of the slain teenager.
Wayne, the 30-year-old rapper born Dewayne Carter, issued a letter to Till's family for using the black teenager who was killed in 1955 as a metaphor for a sexual references in a remix of the song "Karate Chop." However, Till's family does not believe the rapper's letter included a formal apology.
"While it's commendable that he has vowed to respect the legacy of Emmett Till and his memory to 'not use or reference Emmett Till or the Till family in his music,' this statement falls short of an apology, as none is mentioned," Till Family Representative Airickca Gordon-Taylor told TMZ.
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The rapper released his letter to the family shortly after the slain teenager's relatives reportedly spoke about targeting his endorsement deal with Mountain Dew.
"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," the letter addressed to the Till family which was featured on www.missinfo.tv, read.
"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," he added.
Carter's letter comes weeks after fellow rapper Rick Ross was dropped by his Reebok sponsors. Soon after, the Till family made headlines for attempting to put pressure on Carter's sponsors, namely Mountain Dew.
