Lil Wayne has apologised for denouncing the Black Lives Matter movement in a controversial interview, confessing he lashed out over questions about his daughter.
Lil Wayne hit headlines after he appeared on Tuesday night’s episode of U.S. news show Nightline, on which he was quizzed about his stance on the racial justice campaign, which has been fuelled by the multiple shootings of African-Americans at the hands of white police officers.
After criticising the movement’s “weird” name, Wayne began getting frustrated at reporter Linsey Davis’ line of questioning, snapping, “Don’t come at me with that dumb shit.”
“I don’t feel connected to a d**n thing that ain’t got nothin’ to do with me (sic),” he added. He then ripped off his microphone and cut short the interview, ranting as he walked out: “I ain’t no fucking politician.”
Wayne’s comments sparked a backlash online, with many attacking the rapper for distancing himself from the Black Lives Matter campaign, and on Wednesday, he spoke out to explain the reason for his statements.
In a chat with TMZ.com, Wayne, a father of four, claimed he had started to lose his cool during the interview after addressing criticism of his music as misogynistic, and when Davis asked if he would be OK with his daughter being called offensive names, like the ones he uses in song, he stopped paying attention.
“When the reporter began asking me questions about my daughter being labelled a bitch and a hoe, I got agitated,” he said. “From there, there was no thought put into her questions and my responses.”
“Apologies to anyone who was offended,” concluded.
Despite his apology, it’s not the first time Wayne has caused controversy with his opinions about racial tensions in America.
In an interview with Fox Sports last month (Oct16), he insisted, “There’s no such thing as racism”, adding about Black Lives Matter: “That whole wave just went right by me, way too fast to even give an opinion, so I was just like, ‘Oh, OK, that’s what’s happening.'”
