Apparently Lil Wayne’s “apology” letter didn’t impress Emmett Till’s family… or PepsiCo.

The rapper has been dropped as spokesperson for PepsiCo.’s Mountain Dew line.

The company decided to part ways with Weezy last Friday:

 

[T]he company said Friday that it was unhappy with the rapper’s recent controversy involving a song lyric referencing civil rights martyr Emmett Till.

 

In a statement, PepsiCo said that Wayne’s “offensive reference to a revered civil rights icon does not reflect the values of our brand” while reps for Mountain Dew told Billboard.biz that “we do not plan any additional work with Lil Wayne going forward.”

Read more at The Hollywood Reporter.

 

Pepsi has a long history with black consumers; as it not only actively sold its products to black people, but did so by hiring black advertising executives in the mid-20th century.

Given Till’s position in civil rights history, it makes sense that Pepsi might want to distance itself from Wayne.

 

Do you think this was a move to save face by Pepsi?

Should companies be pressured to drop artists who say things that might offend certain groups?

Will Wayne’s and Rick Ross’ loss of endorsement deals change the substance of rap lyrics?

Sound off below!