Family of Emmett Till Writes Open Letter to Lil Wayne

The firestorm over his offensive lyrics on Future's "Karate Chop" remix isn't dying down.

Posted: 02/21/2013 08:03 AM EST
Emmett Till

The row over Lil Wayne's offensive lyrics about civil rights movement catalyst Emmett Till — the 15-year-old murdered in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman — on a Future remix continues.

Yesterday, Till's family posted an open letter to Lil Wayne on VIBE.com. "When you spit lyrics like 'beat that p---y up like Emmett Till,' not only are you destroying the preservation and legacy of Emmett Till's memory and name, but the impact of his murder in black history along with the degradation of women," the letter, written by Airickca Gorgon-Taylor, Till Family representative and executive director of the Mamie Till Mobley Memorial Foundation, read.

The letter went on to ask Lil Wayne to "restore honor to Emmett Till's name and legacy" by allying with the Till Foundation to "ignite a modern-day movement." The letter also quoted Stevie Wonder, who last week said the lyric offended him as well.

The song in question, an unofficial remix to Future's "Karate Chop," leaked online last week and has been causing controversy ever since. After Till's family objected, Epic Records, Future's label, apologized for the song and promised it would attempt to take it down from the Web. The label said the song would eventually be re-released without the offending lyrics.

Lil Wayne, however, has yet to comment on the matter — maybe he's too busy talking about Chris Bosh's wife?

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(Photo: Tribune File Photo)

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