Lil Wayne Emmett Till Controversy: Mountain Dew Cans Rapper for Offensive Lyric

"His offensive reference to a revered civil rights icon does not reflect the values of our brand," says PepsiCo

By Brett Malec May 03, 2013 10:42 PMTags
Lil WayneIsaac Brekken/Getty Images, Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

The fallout from Lil Wayne's Emmett Till lyric controversy continues.

Two days after apologizing to Till's family for making a degrading reference to the slain teen in Future's song "Karate Chop," PepsiCo is cutting ties with the rapper, who formerly promoted their Mountain Dew soda.

"We do not plan any additional work with Lil Wayne moving forward," a Mountain Dew spokesperson tells E! News. "His offensive reference to a revered civil rights icon does not reflect the values of our brand."

Wayne had previously promoted the soda and been featured in commercials for Mountain Dew.

A storm of controversy surrounding the rapper has been swirling since February, when Epic Records pulled any and all traces of the unauthorized "Karate Chop" remix because of Wayne's offensive lyric about Till.

"It has come to my attention that lyrics from my contribution to a fellow artist's song has deeply offended your family," Wayne wrote in an apology letter to Till's family that was released this week. "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."