Lil Wayne Dropped: Pepsi Drops Rapper After Emmett Till Controversy (VIDEO)
Lil Wayne has been dropped by Mountain Dew and Pepsi following controversy surrounding the rapper's lyrics about slain teen and civil rights figure Emmett Till, according to reports.
An article by Spin this week has claimed that Emmett Till's family had asked Pepsi to drop Wayne from its ad campaigns, however, it now appears as though the soft drinks giant has obliged to the request.
Wayne has addressed the controversy surrounding his lyrics and has released a statement saying that he would no longer use Till in his music, although the statement did not include an explicit apology.
The statement did, however, say that Wayne vowed to respect the legacy of Till and his family.
"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 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.
But despite the statement it appears as though the Till family have not been satisfied and Pepsi and Mountain Dew have dropped the rapper from campaigns.
A Till family representative, Airickca Gordon-Taylor, has told TMZ: "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."
Al Sharpton has weighed in on the issue and has said that Wayne's situation is an important lesson to the rapper as well as others in the nation.
Here is a video documentary on Emmett Till's murder in the 50s:
