Lil Wayne Offers New Emmett Till Apology At Concert
Lil Wayne, the 30-year-old rapper born Dewayne Carter, took time at a recent Nashville, Tenn. concert to apologize to the family of Emmett Till after the slain teenager's family questioned his previous expression of regret.
"I apologize to the family of Emmett Till," the rapper said while performing "Karate Chop."
Earlier this year, Wayne 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."
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However, Till's family did 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 last May.
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.
