Positivity?: Future Thinks People Should Appreciate Weezy's Emmett Till Line

Atlanta rapper Future doesn't get what the fuss is about over Lil Wayne's controversial line on his song "Karate Chop." The line referred to civil rights icon Emmett Till, who was beaten to death for flirting with a white woman.

Future believes that Weezy's mentioning it brought more awareness instead of ignorance.

 He said on Big Boy's Neighborhood, "We did the song with great intentions. I never thought it was going to get so much attention. But I think, overall, with the whole situation, he did bring light, in a positive way, to what happened. Even though they might thought it was negative, he brought positive energy to the situation because a lot of people don't know, my dad didn't even know who Emmett was. He's thinking I'm talking about Emmitt Smith. He raised awareness to people who didn't even know what happened to him. After Lil Wayne brought light to it, they had to go and do their research."

Apology Delivered: Lil Wayne Finally Apologizes To Emmett Till's Family

This took long enough. Lil Wayne has penned a letter of apology to Emmett Till's family over the use of the late 14-year-old's name in a vile lyric on his verse from Future's “Karate Chop (Remix).”

In said song, Weezy raps, “Beat the pu--y up like Emmett Till,” which angered the family and many aware of the significance of Till's death to the Civil Rights Movement.


Besides mentioning that he understands the pain the family feels since he is a father himself, the YMCMB rapper acknowledges Till's cultural significance in his letter. “I have tremendous respect for those who paved the way for the liberty and opportunities that African-Americans currently enjoy,” reads the letter. “As a business owner who employs several African-American employees and gives philanthropically to organizations that help youth to pursue their dreams my ultimate intention is to uplift rather than degrade our community.”

Wayen's formal apology comes after the family vowed to pressure Mountain Dew to drop Tunechi as a spokesman. Till's family wrote an open letter to Wayne back in February shortly after the song was first heard. In his letter, the “No Worries” rapper also vows to never perform the song. Coincidentally, or not, Mountain Dew just announced a deal with Complex Media to launch a new website.

What have we learned here? Rappers only respond to something when it can effect their pockets (see: Rick Ross)