By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
There was once a time when older people complained about the lack of education in hip hop. Several asked for more historical references in hip hop. The term “be careful what you ask for” comes to mind when thinking about these demands from a few years ago, circa Hip Hop vs. America.
Lil Wayne mentioned a significant factor in the start of the Civil Rights era when he mentioned Emmett Till on Future’s “Karate Chop.” Unfortunately, Lil Wayne used Till’s name to compare his brutal murder to what he would do to a female while having sex with her. Understandably, many were offended by the line.
Reebok wasted no time dropping Rick Ross after he mentioned date rape on Rocko’s hit single, “U.O.E.N.O.” Catching the heat from Emmett Till’s family, Pepsi pulled Lil Wayne from their advertising campaign. Effectively, the DeWeezy campaign is over and now Pepsi is taking a meeting with Emmett Till’s family, according to Al Sharpton.
Read Al Sharpton’s statement below:
“I have been in conversations over the last several days with leadership at PepsiCo and the family of Emmett Till. This has been a ‘teaching moment’ for Lil Wayne, corporate America and the family of Emmett Till yet more than a condemnation of any one artist, it is an affirmation of Emmett Till and a call for more sensitivity about what we say and do in our culture. National Action Network does not want it to end with artists losing contracts but rather with a sensitizing of corporate America so we can learn from these experiences and set a tone that will help everybody.”
