Lil Wayne was dropped by two of his sponsors this past week, Pepsi and Mountain Dew , and reverend Al Sharpton believes it should be a teaching moment for all rappers. The famous hip-hop star lost his sponsors after referencing civil rights martyr Emmett Till in his track “Karate Chop.”
In the track, Lil Wayne drops the line, “Beat that p***y up like Emmett Till.”
The reference to Till hasn’t gone over well with anyone, much less his sponsors. Emmett Till was a 14-year-old boy when he was tortured to death and lynched for allegedly whistling at a white woman in 1955.
The well-known reverend has plans of arranging a sit down with Lil Wayne, the Till family, and both Pepsi and Mountain Dew in the near future.
The inappropriate lyric will cost Lil Wayne millions in endorsements but Al Sharpton considers the issue to be less of a punishment and more of a life lesson, according to NecoleBitchie.com.
“Otherwise we’re just waiting on the next train crash instead of trying to really resolve our problem and learn from these experiences and set a tone in the country that’s healthy for everybody,” Sharpton said.
Lil Wayne dropped everything after the news was announced about the lyrics and immediately wrote a letter of apology to the Till family. It isn’t known if Sharpton will be able to bring them all together to discuss the dispute but it’s too late for Lil Wayne as he’s already lost his endorsments.
His decision to use the lyrics in his song will not only affect his future with sponsors, but also other rappers as many corporate companies aren’t willing to risk money on the chance of a massive breakdown by their artist.
Lil Wayne’s offensive lyrics have overshadowed his upcoming summer tour but they haven’t affected ticket sales in the least bit. The “America’s Most Wanted Music Festival” is set to begin in early July in Alabama and ends in the United States on the first of September in California.
Here’s a video of the controversial song, “Karate Chop,” that caused Lil Wayne to be dropped by both of his endorsements. Warning: This video contains explicit language and slurs though the “Emmett Till” line has been removed.
[Image via Michael Williams ]
