Emmett Till’s Family Said To Be Saddened By Oscars Snubbing ‘Till’ Biopic
Director Chinonye Chukwu addresses racism and misogyny in Hollywood.
Grand Jury Refuses To Indict Woman Whose False Claims Led To Lynching Of Emmett Till
Carolyn Bryant Donham’s then-husband Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam abducted and brutally murdered 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955.
Taraji P. Henson Compares Jussie Smollett To Emmett Till In Plea For Freedom
Jussie Smollett won’t work in Hollywood again, says Taraji P. Henson; “that is prison” enough, she said, invoking the case of Emmett Till.
Emmett Till’s Family Releases A Statement About Jay Z & Will Smith Produced HBO Miniseries
FAMILY OF THE SLAIN TEENAGER ADDRESSES UPCOMING PROJECT ABOUT TILL
Will Smith And Jay Z Will Produce Emmett Till Miniseries
EMMETT TILL’S STORY IS COMING TO HBO THANKS TO HOV AND BIG WILLIE
Hip-Hop Rumors: Lil Wayne Says Sorry To Emmett Till's Family
LIL WAYNE USES TOUR TO SAY SORRY TO EMMETT TILL’S FAMILY
Lil Wayne Apologizes To Emmett Till Family During Concert
Lil Wayne Apologizes To Till Family Again
Future Says Lil Wayne "Raised Awareness" About Emmett Till; "Karate Chop" Producer Speaks
(AllHipHop News) Future’s “Karate Chop” has been a topic of interest in Hip-Hop for the last several months due to the controversial lyrics by the song’s featured artist. Lil Wayne’s reference to Emmett Till, the African-American teenager who was brutally murdered by two white men in 1955, upset the Till family and eventually cost the Young Money rapper his endorsement deal with Mountain Dew. [ALSO READ: The Till Family React To Mountain Dew Dropping Lil Wayne] Future feels despite all the negative attention the line “beat that pu**y up like Emmett Till” garnered, the end result was actually positive. Future told Power 106: I never thought it was going to get so much attention, but I think overall, the whole situation, he did bring light in a positive way to what happened. Even though they probably thought it was negative, he brought positive energy to the situation because a lot of people don’t even know [who Emmett Till was]. My dad didn’t even know who Emmett was, he think I was talking about Emmett Smith. I’m talking a lot of that are people around me, credible people, that should be like, ‘Man, you don’t even know who Emmett Till is?’ He raised awareness to people who didn’t even know Emmett Till. The young kids that never even knew what happened to him… I don’t believe he in any way, form, or fashion did it out of disrespect toward the family. [ALSO READ: 2 Chainz To Replace Future On Lil Wayne’s ‘America’s Most Wanted Tour’] Another important player in the creation of “Karate Chop” weighed in on the issue as well. Metro Boomin, the producer of the track, spoke with Vibe recently. The 19-year-old Morehouse College student revealed that the version of the song with the Till line was never meant to be released. According to Metro, the lyrics were removed from the track, because the people who had been working on “Karate Chop” felt they would be too controversial. The version with the Till reference was then leaked to the internet without permission. “We didn’t even intend for it to come out like that,” said Metro. “It got ripped. I’m not even going to say his name… one day he lucked up on the f*cking ‘Karate Chop’ video and he ripped the one with the Wayne verse and put it out.”
Al Sharpton Says Corporations, Hip-Hop Artists & Civil Rights Leaders Need To Work Together
(AllHipHop News) Earlier today Al Sharpton, the President of National Action Network, and the family of Emmett Till met with PepsiCo officials. Sharpton and the Till family wanted to address the parent company of Mountain Dew about the corporation’s connection to the Hip-Hop and civil rights communities. [ALSO READ: PepsiCo To Meet With Emmett Tills Family & Al Sharpton] After the meeting Rev. Sharpton issued a statement: The meeting today with PepsiCo representatives, the family of Emmett Till, and me at corporate headquarters was a positive meeting. PepsiCo apologized to the family again and they accepted while agreeing with me that this is a “teachable moment” and we must work with younger Hip-Hop artists so they know their civil rights history and become more engaged in the community. National Action Network (NAN) doesn’t want the end result to be the penalization of artists-although they clearly need to be corrected–but rather them becoming more engaged and conscientious of civil rights history. We agreed to work as partners to try and sit down with younger hip-hop artists, corporate executives, and people in the civil rights community. Last week, Mountain Dew cut professional ties with rapper Lil Wayne after the Young Money leader faced criticism for his controversial lyrics that referenced Emmett Till in the song “Karate Chop (Remix).” The Till family had asked for an apology from Wayne. Wayne gave a statement acknowledging the family’s pain, but they rejected Wayne’s letter as a “non-apology.” It appears after today’s sit down, PepsiCo, the Till family, and the National Action Network are ready to move forward from this controversy and join together with Hip-Hop artists to further the discussion of the importance of Emmett Till’s legacy and the history of the civil rights movement.
PepsiCo To Meet With Emmett Till’s Family & Al Sharpton
(AllHipHop News) The family of Emmett Till will get the chance to address their concerns with officials of PepsiCo face-to-face today (May 8) . Civil rights activist and television host Rev. Al Sharpton will also be present at the meeting after asking the soda company to speak with him and the family about the recent controversy involving Lil Wayne. Sharpton released a press statement on the issue through his National Action Network last week: I have been in conversations over the last several days with leadership at PepsiCo and the family of Emmett Till we intend to meet next week. This has been a “teaching moment for Lil Wayne, corporate America and the family of Emmett Till yet more than a condemnation of any one artist, it is an affirmation of Emmett Till and a call for more sensitivity about what we say and do in our culture. National Action Network does not want it to end with artists losing contracts but rather with a sensitizing of corporate America so we can learn from these experiences and set a tone that will help everybody. It’s in that spirit that we go forward to meeting with PepsiCo next week. Wayne began receiving public criticism earlier this year for a line in the song “Karate Chop (Remix)” that made a comparison between the violent death of the civil rights icon and a sex act. Wayne eventually made a statement directed to Till’s family, saying that he would “like to take a moment to acknowledge your hurt.” The family rejected the letter expressing that they felt the statement was not a real apology and vowed to continue to lobby companies with ties to Wayne. [ALSO READ: Emmett Till’s Family Rejects Lil Wayne’s “Apology”] Eventually, PepsiCo made the decision to end its endorsement partnership will Wayne. The YMCMB rapper had been a part of Mountain Dew’s (a subsidiary of PepsiCo) “Dew You” campaign. [ALSO READ: Pepsi Co. Drops Lil’ Wayne For Offensive Lyrics] Mountain Dew’s connection to Hip-Hop artists took another blow last when the company had to pull an ad featuring Tyler The Creator. The commercial was deemed as racially insensitive and misogynistic by some. According to the A.P., Sharpton and the Till family’s sit down with Pepsi will take place at their corporate headquarters in Purchase, New York.
Emmett Till’s Family Rejects Lil Wayne’s “Apology”
TILL FAMILY REJECTS LIL WAYNE’S “APOLOGY” LETTER!
Lil Wayne Apologizes To The Emmett Till Family
LIL WAYNE APOLOGIZES TO EMMETT TILL’S FAMILY
EXCLUSIVE: Emmett Till’s Family Plans To Relentlessly Pursue Lil Wayne’s Sponsors
EMMETT TILL’S FAMILY TO GO AFTER WAYNE’S SPONSORS!
Twitter Wars: Talib Kweli and Dream Hampton Battle Over Rick Ross Rape Lyric
(AllHipHop News) Conscious rapper Talib Kweli for the past 15 years denounced Rick Ross’ highly publicized rape lyric on Huffington Post Live on April 2nd. In the interview, Kweli deems Ross’ rape lyric “unacceptable” however one of Kweli’s solutions was to embrace Ross who he deems a “misguided 40 year old” (Ross is 37). Acclaimed author and journalist, Dream Hampton took issue to the severity the Black Star rapper placed on the rape culture. A continuous back and forth debate ensued as Kweli reiterated his stance on the matter: @dreamhampton I said VERY clear that the lyric was wrong. I also said that solutions start w dialogue, & I’m willing to start it. — Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) April 3, 2013 The two acknolwedeged on Twitter that they have been friends for over a decade and were actually with each other on the somber September 11th in 2001. The intellectual debate between friends soon turned personal when Talib reminded the co-author of Jay-Z’s Decoded book of his public support of hers against rabid Beyonce fans: @dreamhampton it wasn’t weak as f### when I was holding u down getting harassed by Beyonce stans. Don’t forget who your friends are. — Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) April 3, 2013 Dream Hampton is no stranger to Twitter confrontations turning into talking points in Hip Hop. In August of 2012, Hampton responded to a tweet regarding Jay-Z’s social awareness in music compared to Nas’ by claiming Nas had ghostwriters for his Untitled album he released in 2008 [ALSO CHECK OUT: SXSW: Talib Kweli Performs “Get By” at AllHipHop Breeding Ground Showcase] Check out below to watch Talib Kweli’s exclusive interview with AllHipHop regarding Lil Wayne’s controversial Emmett Till lyric: [vimeo 63220154 w=500 h=281]
Family of Emmett Till Sends Prayers to Lil Wayne
THE FAMILY OF EMMETT TILL SENDS PRAYERS TO LIL WAYNE
BET To Televise Unaired Stevie Wonder United Nations Concert
(AllHipHop News) For one night on October 24th, 2012 the United Nations Organization was not dealing with oil crises or warring dictators, but celebrating their 67th anniversary with a concert of music legends. BET Networks and Wonder Production will televise the concert on Centric and BET. The concert special will air on Saturday, February 23rd at 9PM EST on Centric and air on Sunday, March 3rd at 11AM EST on its parent station, BET. The iconic Stevie Wonder will headline the special, dubbed Stevie Wonder with Friends: Celebrating a Message of Peace with performances from legends such as Wyclef Jean and Sting as well as burgeoning musical talents Janelle Monae and Elle Varner along with others. The event will be emceed by Malcolm Jamal Warner. In a press release, the 22-time Grammy Award winner described the night as “spirited and fun”. The CEO/Chairman of BET Network elucidated the reasons why Stevie Wonder was the perfect choice as a headliner for an event celebrating the United Nations Organization: “Beyond his incredible music career, Stevie Wonder has consistently used his voice to create a better and more peaceful world.” Mr. Wonder recently denounced Lil Wayne’s controversial Emmett Till line from Future’s “Karate Chop(Remix)”. After telling the Associated Press that Weezy “just cannot do that” he challenged the rapper to exercise more empathy regarding sensitive subjects such as Emmit Till’s brutal murder: “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.” [ALSO READ: Celebs Gather To Honor Stevie Wonder During “Never Again” Concert] Check out Bud Light’s Super Bowl XLVII commercial featuring Stevie Wonder: [youtub=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd3NlM_BijY]
Lil Wayne Under Fire For Disrespectful Emmett Till Lyric, Epic Records Pulls Song
LIL WAYNE UNDER FIRE FOR DISSING EMMETT TILL
Jesse Jackson Helps Settle Dispute Over Offensive Lil Wayne Lyric, Epic Records Apologizes
(AllHipHop News) Lil Wayne sparked a controversy this week when his verse on Future’s “Karate Chop (Remix)” began circulating the net. Wayne has a line on the song were he makes a reference to the Emmett Till, the 14-year-old African-American from Chicago, who was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955. “Bout to put rims on my skateboard wheels/Beat that p—y up like Emmett Till,” rapped Lil Wayne on the song. Till’s surviving family members put out a statement saying that they felt the line was offensive and disrespectful, and wanted the song to be edited so that was not any mention of Till’s name. Airickca Gordon-Taylor, director of the Mamie Till Mobley Memorial Foundation, told the Chicago-Sun Times, “My agenda is not to be disrespectful to Lil Wayne, even as much as I feel he’s been disrespectful to my family. We just want Emmett’s name removed from that song.” Gordan-Taylor reached out to civil rights leader Jesse Jackson to help her foundation contact representatives of Lil Wayne to discuss getting the Till line removed. Jackson was able to conduct a conference call with the head of Future’s record label, L.A. Reid. Reid told Jackson that the version of the song featuring Lil Wayne was leaked, and that the official release will not have the Emmett Till reference. The Mamie Til Mobley Memorial Foundation Facebook page also posted that Reid personally apologized to the family. The AP is reporting that Epic Records released a statement Wednesday evening saying that the label is attempting to pull the leaked remix version of “Karate Chop.” “Out of respect for the legacy of Emmett Till and his family and the support of the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. …we are going through great efforts to take down the unauthorized version,” the statement read. Epic does plan to release an official version of Future’s song without the lyrics referring to Till. The legacy of Emmett Till is a very sensitive topic for many in the African-American community. While visiting family in Mississippi, Till was murder by local residents for whistling at white woman. The killers shot Till in the head, gouged his eyes out, and wrapped his body in barbed wire before tossing him into the Tallahatchie River. Mamie Till, Emmett’s mother, insisted the her son have an open casket funeral so the world could see the bigotry and violent nature of the segregated south. The horrific pictures of Till’s beaten body were widely published in the black media and helped initiate the Civil Rights Movement.
