Trump Pardons Kodak Black and Lil Wayne
Image via Lil Wayne's Twitter @liltunechi
Trump Pardons Kodak Black and Lil Wayne
Words: Dylan Murphy
The American rappers have had their convictions waived by the President before he left office.
In a statement released by the White House, it has been revealed President Trump granted pardons to 73 individuals and commuted the sentences of over 70 other people.
Two pardons were granted to Lil Wayne and Kodak Black. Wayne, real name Dwayne Michael Carter Jr pled guilty to possession of a firearm, following an incident in Miami airport in 2019. The former Young Money artist was facing up to 10 years in prison before Trump stepped in with a pardon. It follows a late endorsement on the campaign trail for Trump from Wayne that was met with significant backlash in the hip hop community.
Meanwhile, Florida rapper Kodak Black has received a commutation from the outgoing president. Arrested in May 2019, Kodak was out on bond for sexual assault charges when he indicated on the paperwork that he was not on indictment while trying to purchase firearms. In March of last year, Kodak Black pled guilty to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
In the statement from the White House it said, “Kodak Black is a prominent artist and community leader. This commutation is supported by numerous religious leaders, including Pastor Darrell Scott and Rabbi Schneur Kaplan. Additional supporters include Bernie Kerik, Hunter Pollack, Gucci Mane, Lil Pump, Lil Yachty, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, Jack Brewer formerly of the National Football League, and numerous other notable community leaders.”
Elsewhere, Death Row Records co-founder Michael “Harry-O” Harris also had his sentence commuted by the President. Harris had served 30 years of a 25-to-life sentence for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
The news comes after reports that Joe Exotic of Tiger King fame was expecting a presidential pardon before Trump left office. The sworn enemy of Carole Baskin did not end up receiving a pardon from the outgoing president of the United States.
