Hip-Hop artists Lil Wayne and Kodak Black were among the host of pardons and sentence commutations issued by Donald Trump on his last day at the helm of our nation.
Ahead of his departure from The White House, Trump issued 73 pardons and 70 sentence commutations to people with questionably long sentences for minor offenses and his close political allies. Notable people on Trump’s last-minute list for clemency include Steve Bannon, his former chief strategist, and Elliot Broidy, the former deputy national finance chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Lil Wayne, born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was granted a full pardon, according to an offical statement from The White House. The five-time Grammy-winning rapper pleaded guilty to the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon back in December. If convicted as charged, he possibly faced a maximum of 10 years in prison.
“Mr. Carter pled guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, owing to a conviction over 10 years ago,” the White House said. “Deion Sanders, who also wrote in support of this pardon, calls Mr. Wayne ‘a provider for his family, a friend to many, a man of faith, a natural giver to the less fortunate, a waymaker, [and] a game changer.'”
In late October, Wayne shared via Twitter a picture of himself alongside Trump after a meeting to discuss the administration’s “Platinum Plan.”
Although he presented as a plan to increase the economic fortitude of the Black community, some fans were in an uproar about the presumed affiliation between the two parties.
Florida emcee Kodak Black (legal name Bill K. Capri) was also granted a sentence commutation. According to The New York Times, Black was sentenced in November to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty to falsifying information on background check forms to purchase firearms.
The official White House statement called him a “prominent artist and community leader” for his slew of philanthropic efforts to “families of fallen law enforcement officers and the underprivileged.” The artist’s commutation is supported by Gucci Mane, Lil Yachty, Lil Pump, Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, and other community leaders.