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L’il Wayne, Kodak Black Get Trump Clemency, White House Tries To Explain Why

Two rappers have received clemency from outgoing President Trump for previous gun charges.

The White House has announced that outgoing President Donald Trump granted a pardon to rapper Lil Wayne and a commutation to rapper Kodak Black among the 143 granted overnight.

Photo: Chris Allmeid, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Li’l Wayne

Lil Wayne, the multi-platinum and 5X Grammy artist and label founder was a Trump supporter who pleaded guilty to illegal gun possession after a December 2019 arrest and was facing up to 10 years in federal prison.

“President Trump granted a full pardon to Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., also known as ‘Lil Wayne,'” the statement from White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany read. “Mr. Carter pled guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, owing to a conviction over 10 years ago. Brett Berish of Sovereign Brands, who supports a pardon for Mr. Carter, describes him as ‘trustworthy, kind-hearted and generous.'”

“Mr. Carter has exhibited this generosity through a commitment to a variety of charities, including donations to research hospitals and a host of foodbanks. 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, a game-changer.’

Chrisallmeid, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kodak Black

Kodak Black, best known for the breakout hit “Tunnel Vision,” has been arrested multiple times and faced gun, drug and sexual misconduct charges.

“Kodak Black is a prominent artist and community leader,” McEnany said in the White House statement.”He has served nearly half of his sentence. Before his conviction and after reaching success as a recording artist, Kodak Black became deeply involved in numerous philanthropic efforts. In fact, he has committed to supporting a variety of charitable efforts, such as providing educational resources to students and families of fallen law enforcement officers and the underprivileged.”

“In addition to these efforts, he has paid for the notebooks of school children, provided funding and supplies to daycare centers, provided food for the hungry, and annually provides for underprivileged children during Christmas. Most recently while still incarcerated, Kodak Black donated $50,000 to David Portnoy’s Barstool Fund, which provides funds to small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kodak Black’s only request was that his donation go toward restaurants in his hometown.”

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