Stevie Wonder is disappointed with Lil’ Wayne’s featured verse on Future’s track entitled, Karate Chop. More details after the jump.
In the middle of Black History Month, many are finding time to reference historical facts detailing contributions made by black people from all corners of the earth. Lil’ Wayne, who is featured on a new track with Future, references Emmett Till, a black 14 year old from Chicago who was brutally killed in 1955 in the state of Missisippi. Till, was was kidnapped, beaten and then shot in the head for allegedly flirting with a white cashier at a grocery store.
In the controversial lyric that made many people including Stevie Wonder upset, Lil’ Wayne raps, “Beat that pussy up like Emmett till.”
When questioned in a recent interview regarding Lil’ Wayne’s lyric, Stevie Wonder responds, “You can’t equate that to Emmett Till,” Wonder said. “You just cannot do that. … I think you got to have someone around you that — even if they are the same age or older — is wiser to say, ‘Yo, that’s not happening. Don’t do that.” He continues his response by saying, “Sometimes people have to put themselves in the place of people who they are talking about,” Wonder said. “Imagine if that happened to your mother, brother, daughter or your son. How would you feel? Have some discernment before we say certain things. That goes for me or any other (song)writer.”
Among others, the Till family are asking for an apology and according to the Associated Press, Epic Records has decided to pull the record due to the offensive lyrics. In support of the Till family, Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. reached out to Lil’ Wayne’s management company to make sure all copies are removed from the internet. The record label is calling it an unathorized version and will release the track at a later date without the questionable lyrics.
