Emmett Till became a civil rights hero after he was murdered in 1955 for flirting with a young white woman. Without using the words "sorry" or "apology", the rapper agreed to stop using the Till's name, vowing "to uplift rather than degrade our community".
"It has come to my attention that lyrics from my contribution to a fellow artist's song has deeply offended your family," Wayne wrote in an open letter. "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 … As a recording artist, I have always been interested in word play … Moving forward, I will not use or reference Emmett Till or the Till family in my music, especially in an inappropriate manner."
The offending line appeared as part of Wayne's guest verse on Karate Chop (remix), by the Atlanta rapper Future. "Pop a lot of pain pills," he rapped. "Bout to put rims on my skateboard wheels / Beat that pussy up like Emmett Till." Till's cousin Airickca Gordon-Taylor was among those who condemned the lyric. "[It is] offensive not only to us, but to our ancestors and to women and to [the artists] themselves as young, black men," she said in February. "Our family was very offended, very hurt … [and] disturbed by [the line]."
With the outcry from Till's relatives and other civil rights activists growing, Epic Records cut Wayne's verse from the "authorised" version of Future's track and label boss LA Reid rang the family to apologise. But as of this week, the pressure hadn't let up: supporters including Jesse Jackson were still calling for Wayne to be dropped by his primary corporate sponsor, Mountain Dew.
Although many of hip-hop's biggest stars have built their reputations on controversy, the mainstreaming of rap has made these artists increasingly vulnerable to public criticism. Yesterday, Mountain Dew pulled a "racist" TV advert directed by Tyler, the Creator, and last month, Rick Ross lost a multi-million-dollar endorsement deal due to lyrics about rape. Ross was also felt to have bungled his apology.
Wayne now risks making the same mistake, by eschewing any personal touch or sense of regret in his note. "As a business owner who employs several African-American employees and gives philanthropically to organisations," he wrote, "I have tremendous respect for those who paved the way for the liberty and opportunities that African-Americans currently enjoy."
The rapper may also have other problems. According to TMZ, he was hospitalised for another seizure this week. This is at least the third time this year that Wayne has required an overnight stay at Los Angeles's Cedars-Sinai hospital. Despite claims the seizures were caused by prescription substance abuse, the rapper insists he simply suffers from epilepsy. – © Guardian News and Media 2013