Lil Wayne and Kodak Black were forgiven.
On Wednesday morning (January 20), rappers officially received Donald Trump’s leniency as part of a wave of pardons and last-minute commutations during the president’s final hours in office.
Wayne faced up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to illegal firearm possession while traveling on a private plane in December 2019. The rapper met Trump during a campaign stop in October and tweeted his support for efforts to criminal justice reform of the president.
“President Trump has granted total forgiveness to Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., also known as ‘Lil Wayne’,” says a statement by White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. “Sir. Carter pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted criminal due to a conviction more than 10 years ago. Brett Berish of Sovereign Brands, who supports Mr. Carter’s forgiveness, describes him as’ trustworthy, good-hearted and generous’ ”.
“Sir. Carter demonstrated this generosity through commitment to a variety of charities, including donations to research hospitals and a number of food banks. Deion Sanders, who also wrote in support of this pardon, calls Mr. Wayne of ‘a provider for his family, a friend of many, a man of faith, a natural giver for the less fortunate, a path-maker, [and] a game changer ‘”.
I had a great meeting with @realdonaldtrump @potus in addition to what it has done so far with criminal reform, the platinum plan will give the community real control. He heard what we had to say today and guaranteed that he will and will be able to do that. 🤙🏾 pic.twitter.com/Q9c5k1yMWf
– Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) October 29, 2020
Kodak Black, whose legal name is Bill Kapri, was serving a 46-month sentence in a federal prison in Kentucky for falsifying paperwork to obtain a firearm. In November, rapper “Tunnel Vision” publicly begged the president to release him before his release date in August 2022. In return, he promised to donate $ 1 million to charities. Lil Yachty, Yo Gotti and Lil Pump pressured Trump for his clemency.
“Kodak Black is a prominent artist and community leader,” said McEnany in the statement, praising Black’s philanthropic efforts. “He pledged to support a variety of charitable efforts, such as providing educational resources to students and families of dead police and needy people. In addition to these efforts, he paid for the notebooks of schoolchildren, provided funds and supplies for daycare centers, provided food for the hungry and annually provides assistance to needy children during Christmas ”.
Earlier in the day, Trump commuted the prison sentence of Death Row Records co-founder Michael “Harry-O” Harris, who was serving a life sentence for attempted murder and cocaine trafficking. Snoop Dogg and Alice Marie Johnson had lobbied for his release.
“I love what they did,” said Snoop of the president and his advisers. “It’s a great job for the president and his team on their way out.”
Trump also granted clemency to former White House adviser Steve Bannon in a controversial decision made just hours before he left the White House on Wednesday.