Emmett Till's cousin seeks apology from Lil Wayne
Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Chicago boy who was brutally murdered near Money, Mississippi on Aug. 31, 1955. Credit: AP
A cousin of the late Emmett Till wonders if Lil Wayne understands just how damaging it was when he rapped a vulgar reference to the black teen whose death in 1955 became a significant moment in the civil rights movement, The Associated Press reports.
Airickca Gordon-Taylor says Till's family would like an apology from Lil Wayne for the brief but disturbing lyric on Future's "Karate Chop" remix. But more than that, she'd like the platinum-selling New Orleans rapper to understand how his comparison of a sex act to the 14-year-old Chicago native's torture death in Mississippi is hurtful to the black community.
"It was a heinous murder," Gordon-Taylor said in a phone interview Thursday from Chicago. "He was brutally beaten and tortured, and he was shot, wrapped in barbed wire and tossed in the Tallahatchie River."
The Future remix with Lil Wayne guesting was leaked on the Internet over the weekend. Epic Records said Wednesday it regretted the unauthorized remix version and that it was employing "great efforts" to pull it down. The brief reference -- just seven words -- will be stricken from the song when it's officially released later.
The rapper made a crude reference to rough sex and used an obscenity. He indicated he wanted to do as much damage as had been done to Till.
Gordon-Taylor says Epic chairman and chief executive L.A. Reid personally reached out to her on a conference call Wednesday evening that included the Rev. Jesse Jackson to explain and apologize.
Lil Wayne has not commented.
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