Several hip-hop controversies have dominated entertainment news headlines this year, not the least of which was Lil Wayne and his lyrics on the remix for Future’s single “Karate Chop.” Upon hearing Lil Wayne claim to “beat the p—-y up like Emmett Till,” fans and critics were outraged, with the backlash eventually culminating in Weezy losing his endorsement deal with Mountain Dew.
Future was asked about the controversy during an interview with Big Boy on his popular radio show, and he offered a different perspective on Wayne’s lyrics, intentions and the aftermath.
“We did the song with great intentions,” Future told Big Boy about the track. “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.”
Till’s family issued a statement criticizing Wayne’s lyrics shortly after the song’s release. The rap superstar remained unresponsive until it was reported that PepsiCo was considering dissolving his Mountain Dew endorsement deal in the wake of the backlash. Wayne said that he would never intentionally disrespect Till, who was murdered in 1955 at the age of 15 for flirting with a white woman in Mississippi. The slain teenager’s family, however, dismissed Wayne’s attempt to explain himself.
But even with all of the bad feelings between the various parties, Future says the entire episode was a good thing and raised awareness of Till’s story.
“Even though they might [have] 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,” Future revealed. “He’s thinking I’m talking about [former NFL great] Emmitt Smith. … He raised awareness to people who didn’t even know who Emmett Till is to young kids who didn’t even know what happened to him. … After Lil Wayne brought light to it, they had to go and do their research.”
