Mountain Dew to release Lil Wayne over Emmett Till lyric

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A source tells theGrio PepsiCo is ending its association with rapper Lil’ Wayne, an endorser of the soft drink Mountain Dew.

Dissolving the partnership is a direct response to Wayne’s song lyric which referenced Emmett Till, the 14-year-old who was murdered in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of whistling at a white woman.

Wayne apologized for the lyric after members of Till’s family objected, but his semi-apology was not accepted.

Now, the song has cost him his endorsement deal.

A Mountain Dew spokesperson told theGrio “We do not plan any additional work with Lil Wayne moving forward.  His offensive reference to a revered civil rights icon does not reflect the values of our brand.”

Mountain Dew was already under fire for a web video produced by rapper and leader of the Odd Future collective Tyler the Creator, which featured a goat participating in a criminal lineup as a physically abused white woman is terrified by subliminal threats not to identify him.

Reverend Al Sharpton and members of the Till family will be meeting with Pepsi sometime next week.

You can check out Kyle’s musical coverage on theGrio music page, and follow Kyle on Twitter at @HarveyWins.