Lil Wayne Dropped By Mountain Dew: Was It Justified?

[NelsonG]

By Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Lil Wayne is known for being speaking his mind freely and this time, it cost him a lucrative endorsement deal. MTV News reported on Friday, that Mountain Dew terminated its partnership with the rapper over his lyrics involving civil rights figure in Future's "Karate Chop (Remix)": "Beat the pu--y up like Emmett Till."Mountain Dew's parent company PepsiCo released an official statement stating the end of the deal and that Weezy's "offensive reference to a revered civil rights icon does not reflect the values of our brand."

Fans on Twitter were divided on Mountain Dew's decision. Many applauded the soda giant for defending Till's legacy. "Mt. Dew dropped Lil Wayne over the Emmett Till controversy. Biggie said it best, 'Dumb rappers need teaching'" tweeted one critic and another echoed, "Mountain Dew did the right thing firing Lil Wayne #noclass."

Some viewed the decision as negative censorship and argued that brands would continue to ask rappers to change their lyrics when deemed too controversial. "Damn Mountain Dew ain't playin wit y'all," said one fan. "They're just tryin to follow suit w/ Reebok which is wack!," threw in another, referring to the recent decision by Reebok to sever ties with Rick Ross over his lyrics in "U.O.E.N.O." (Remix).

Wayne and Ross are just two rappers who have faced harsh response from their corporate sponsors lately. Tyler, The Creator's series of Mountain Dew commercials were just pulled after allegations of some being "racist." "We apologize for this video and take full responsibility,” the soda company said. “Hey guys - made a big mistake we've removed the offensive video from all our channels. #fail” the brand tweeted last week.

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