It took him a little while, but Lil Wayne has finally apologized to the family of Emmett Till over an insensitive lyric in which he name drops the teen, killed in 1955 for whistling at a white woman. Weezy's atonement attempt comes on the heels of the family announcing plans to urge Mountain Dew to fire the New Orleans native from his endorsement deal.

In a letter obtained by Hot 97, Wayne sympathized with the family. "It has come to my attention that lyrics from my contribution to a fellow artist’s song has deeply offended your family. As a father myself, I cannot imagine the pain that your family has had to endure. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge your hurt, as well as the letter you sent to me via your attorneys," the apology reads.

"Moving forward, I will not use or reference Emmett Till or the Till family in my music, especially in an inappropriate manner. I fully support Epic Record’s decision to take down the unauthorized version of the song and to not include the reference in the version that went to retail. I will not be performing the lyrics that contain that reference live and have removed them from my catalog."

Closing out the correspondence, the 30-year-old noted his "tremendous respect for those who paved the way for the liberty and opportunities that African-Americans currently enjoy," asserting that his ultimate goal is to "uplift rather than degrade our community."

Wayne's controversial line appears on Future's "Karate Chop" and made its way to the Internet in mid-February. The rhyme finds the YMCMB front man paralleling his bedroom skills to 14-year-old Till's vicious beating and murder.

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(Photo: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images)