Salon.com > lil wayne

Lil Wayne responds to family of Emmett Till over offensive lyric

Thu, 02 May 2013 20:29:00 +0000

Although Epic Records apologized for an offensive Lil Wayne rap lyric back in February, the rapper did not issue a formal statement until this week.

In the Future remix called "Karate Chop," Wayne compared the 14-year-old civil rights icon Emmett Till, murdered in 1955, to a sex act.

Wayne sent a letter to Till's family recently, saying he "acknowledged" the hurt caused by the lyrics:

Dear Till Family:

As a recording artist, I have always been interested in word play. My lyrics often reference people, places and events in my music, as well as the music that I create for or alongside other artists.

It has come to my attention that lyrics from my contribution to a fellow artist’s song has deeply offended your family. 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.

Moving forward, I will not use or reference Emmett Till or the Till family in my music, especially in an inappropriate manner. I fully support Epic Record’s decision to take down the unauthorized version of the song and to not include the reference in the version that went to retail. I will not be performing the lyrics that contain that reference live and have removed them from my catalogue.

I have tremendous respect for those who paved the way for the liberty and opportunities that African-Americans currently enjoy. 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.

Best,

Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.
Lil Wayne

Performers announced for Billboard Awards

Thu, 02 May 2013 14:25:00 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) -- Nicki Minaj and her mentor, Lil Wayne, will join forces for a performance at the Billboard Music Awards, to be presented May 19 in Las Vegas.

Billboard announced additional performers Thursday. They include Chris Brown, Jennifer Lopez, Ed Sheeran, David Guetta, Akon, Ne-Yo and Icona Pop.

Taylor Swift, Maroon 5 and fun. are finalists in 11 categories. Swift, Justin Bieber, Maroon 5, Rihanna and One Direction will compete for the top artist award.

Previously announced performers include Swift, Bieber, Bruno Mars, Miguel, Christina Aguilera, Selena Gomez, Pitbull, The Band Perry and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis.

Prince, who will receive the icon award, will also perform.

Tracy Morgan will host the awards, to air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on ABC.

Lil Wayne: “I’m an epileptic, I’m prone to seizures”

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:02:00 +0000

After giving friends, family and fans a scare when he was in the ICU for nearly a week, rapper Lil Wayne has commented on the cause of the seizures that almost took his life. TMZ first speculated that the cause of the seizures was an overdose on cough syrup, which functions as an opiate in high doses. But on Los Angeles radio station Power 106, the rapper denied the rumors, attributing them to his epilepsy:

Lil Wayne reportedly released from hospital

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:22:00 +0000

After spending nearly a week in the Intensive Care Unit of Cedar-Sinai Hospital, a source close to rapper Lil Wayne says he has been released and is in recovery at home.

Sources told the AP that the rapper was treated for seizures, a condition for which he has been hospitalized in the past. TMZ speculated that the recent episode was induced by a drug overdose, and reported that his condition was so critical that the rapper's mother was called upon to make life support decisions.

However, Lil Wayne's friend and collaborator Mack Maine tweeted to followers late Monday night:

[embedtweet id=313832627436142593]

A source verified Lil Wayne's release to TMZ as well; the outlet reported that "Wayne is feeling weak but he's a lot better. He plans on laying low until he makes a full recovery."

Lil Wayne still in hospital after suffering multiple seizures

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:20:00 +0000

Despite sending out a reassuring tweet on Friday and hearing reports on Sunday that said Lil Wayne is "good, just resting," the rapper is now entering into his sixth day in the I.C.U of Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, reports TMZ.

TMZ first broke the news that Weezy had been admitted to the I.C.U. after suffering multiple seizures Tuesday night, and was released on Wednesday. "Sources say there's evidence Wayne went on a Sizzurp binge after being released Wednesday, because doctors found high amounts of codeine in his system," reported TMZ. "We're told Wanye's stomach was pumped 3 times to flush the drugs from his system." MTV has noted, however, that Lil Wayne has had seizures before, writing, "The situation is similar to the reported seizure like-symptoms Weezy suffered while aboard his private jet in October. After a pair of hospital visits, the 'No Worries' MC appeared to be well, and in November, he admitted to MTV News correspondent Sway Calloway that he was on medication to treat his condition during an interview in which he was sweating profusely."

But this time, TMZ has reported that his condition over the weekend was so critical that his mother came to the hospital and made decisions "including the decision to discontinue life support." Rappers Nicki Minaj, Drake, Birdman, Chris Paul and perhaps Eminem have also visited the rapper at the hospital.

Lil Wayne seemingly alive and well, despite TMZ report

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 02:24:00 +0000

Celebrity "news" site TMZ sent the Twittersphere into convulsions Friday evening when it reported that rapper Lil Wayne was fighting for his life in the ICU of Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles after suffering the latest in a series of seizures. "We're told several people are at Wayne's bedside crying, and a number of rap artists and family members are on the way," the outlet noted. "Sources say the scene is violent as Wayne shakes uncontrollably."

TMZ also reported that Wayne had been rushed to the hospital Tuesday night under similar circumstances, and that his bodyguard had found him face down and unconscious shortly after he was discharged Wednesday. The seizures were allegedly brought on by an excess consumption of sizzurp or purple drank, a codein-based drug popular in southern rap circles.

It's unclear how much of this initial report is true or false, but Weezy appears to be on the mend, tweeting the following Friday night:

[embedtweet id="312737210044669953"]

As of 10:15 PM EST, his message had been retweeted over 100,000 times. Meanwhile, fellow Young Money rapper Mack Maine offered some pointed words, er, hashtag for TMZ:

[embedtweet id="312730536504348673"]

Must-see morning clip: Donald Trump addresses Lil Wayne tweet and “Celebrity Apprentice”

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:25:00 +0000

Salon's favorite centerfold, Donald Trump, stops by "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" to address his hacked Twitter account, Gary Busey and the upcoming season of "Celebrity Apprentice":

Trump lawyer: Twitter, cops investigating hack

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:36:00 +0000

"I just got done talking to the precinct," Donald Trump's executive vice president and special counsel, Michael Cohen, told Salon this afternoon. Donald Trump's often-inflammatory Twitter feed had taken an unusual turn this morning, with a single instance of a Lil Wayne lyric getting sent out, then promptly deleted.

"The police and Twitter are both investigating," said the special counsel. He noted that he had just become aware "this has been happening a lot, with McDonald's and Ford" (in actuality, Burger King and Jeep) getting hacked on Twitter. Cohen noted that Trump had been giving a speech in Florida at the time the Tweet was sent.

One possible explanation closed off? The notion that someone else has been writing Trump's tweets and inadvertently posted a personal update to the wrong account; Cohen said that Trump writes all his Tweets himself.

Donald Trump claims Lil Wayne “hoes” tweet was a hack

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:30:00 +0000

Donald Trump's Twitter account posted and then quickly deleted a tweet that quoted a Lil Wayne rap lyric, which Trump claims was the result of a hack.

The original tweet said: "These hoes think they classy, well that's the class I'm skippen."

Trump then tweeted:

[embedtweet id="304636780903288834"]

Lil Wayne breaks Elvis Presley’s Billboard Hits record

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:36:00 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) — Lil Wayne is not only making rap history, he's making rock 'n roll history: the rapper has surpassed Elvis Presley as the leading male with the most entries on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.

Lil Wayne now has 109 songs on that chart with Thursday's debut of Game's song "Celebration," where he is a guest alongside Chris Brown, Tyga and Wiz Khalifa. Of his 109 charted songs, only 42 are led by Lil Wayne; 67 are songs where he is the featured act.

Thursday is the rapper's 30th birthday.

Presley totaled 108 songs on the Hot 100 since it launched in 1958. Presley's career kicked off before that and several of his songs — like "Heartbreak Hotel" — could not be included in his total number.

The "Glee" cast has the most Hot 100 entries with 204.