Last week, Lil Wayne sparked controversy with his comments on the Black Lives Matter movement during a newly aired interview with ABC's "Nightline." In addition to many social media activists, a few rappers have responded to Wayne's alarming remarks. Vic Mensa called Wayne's position on Black Lives Matter "ignorant, selfish, and isolated" and Jeezy attributed Wayne's disconnect on the subject to his background and being a star since he was an early teen. Now another Atlanta veteran, T.I., has responded to Wayne's comments on "Nightline" with a lengthy and infuriated Instagram post. He extensively berates his longtime collaborator, calling Wayne's attitude toward the protest group "absolutely unacceptable" and reminiscent of what used to be known as "Uncle Tom shit."
When asked about BLM on Nightline, Wayne first appeared to be wholly unaware of the movement, before going on to assert, "I don't feel connected to a damn thing that ain't got nothin' to do with me. If you do, you crazy as shit."
T.I., who says he was just shown a clip of Wayne's BLM comments by his kids, begins his post by writing, "I'm at a loss of words here." He then details how close of a friend Wayne has been to him. "Reginae' spent countless times at my house with Niq-Niq when you were in prison & you extended my daughter the same courtesy when I was in the same position," he writes. He later suggests he had considered Wayne to be like another father to his kids until he was made aware of his stance on BLM.
"You're disrespecting yourself, bringing shame on your family name, and tarnishing your legacy," T.I. firmly tells Weezy.
T.I. commands Wayne to "get outta that bubble that you've been living in" and open his eyes to the pervasive oppression currently facing Black America. He goes as far as to threaten to revoke his friendship as well as his admiration for Wayne if he doesn't display more racial awareness: "I've been proud to call myself a fan & a friend of Lil Wayne, but if that must end in order to stand up for those who can't do it for themselves...So be it."
Soon after the full "Nightline" interview aired and the segment on BLM went viral, Wayne tweeted, "Is intelligence always misunderstood?" He went on to offer his "apologies to anyone who was offended" and explained to TMZ that he had been angered by a question asked by the host Lindsay Davis about what his response would be to someone calling his daughter a "bitch" or "hoe." "From there," said Wayne, "there was no thought put into her questions and my responses." A couple of days later, TMZ reported that Wayne's team had attempted to prevent the "Nightline" interview from airing and that he has now fired his publicists.