Fails: Is Lil Wayne’s Letter To Emmett Till’s Family A Case Of Too Little, Too Late? Posted by Danielle Harling on 05/01/13 | Filed under Opinion, Lil Wayne, Fails

Following the release of Future's "Karate Chop (Remix)," a number of music fans were appalled at a particular lyric from Lil Wayne that belittled the death of Emmett Till. On the song, Lil Wayne rapped, "I beat the pu**y up like Emmett Till." The family of the slain teen has been pretty vocal about the insulting lyric, but prior to today's release of a statement from Lil Wayne, the rapper had yet to comment on the song.

Personally, I'm heavily in favor of this letter being a case of too little, too late. The letter comes nearly three months after the controversy surrounding Lil Wayne's lyric began to peak and coincidentally its release also shortly follows news of the Till family approaching Mountain Dew about their partnership with Wayne. And if you really read the letter, you'll see that it isn't much of an apology. Yes, Lil Wayne has finally acknowledged the controversy and I guess we can commend him for that, but if this letter is supposed to be an apology it certainly fails.

You can read Lil Wayne's letter in its entirety 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"

Nathan Update: Yep, Wayne's definitely all about uplifting rather than degrading the community...

UPDATE #2: Emmett Till’s Family Not Buying Lil Wayne’s Apology Any More Than You Were

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