It has been almost twelve hours since Lil’ Wayne accepted a plea deal in a New York weapons case, and an official statement has yet-to-be issued from Cash Money Records or even his Young Money roster.
While some celebrities including Jim Jones and Wayne’s ex-wife Toya Carter took to twitter to express their outrage over the one year sentence which came along with the New Orleans’ rapper guilty plea, his labelmates and protégés where noticeably quiet.
Nonetheless, Wayne and his impending jail sentence remained the topic of much conversation among fans and celebs alike today.
Some, who had forgotten about the 2007 incident that lead to the rapper’s charges of attempted weapons possession, reacted with a bit of surprise. Others pondered how the one year bid will affect his career or even trademark dreadlocks.
And some even asked why we should be outraged at the sentence, since Wayne owned up to having done the crime. Still others, including Slim Thug, took to Twitter to point to a greater social issue represented by New York authorities’ approach to the high profile case.
“That’s some bulls**t how the police try to make an example out of [Black] celebs,” the Houston rapper tweeted. “Lil Wayne wasn’t holding the gun; they got on his bus, didn’t even know which one he was; after they found him they gave him the case. It’s Lil’ Wayne if he is on the bus somebody needs to have a gun his lil ass can’t fight a muthaf***a off. Cortez, Lil’ Wayne manager, said on [VH1’s] Behind the Music that that’s his gun. It’s in his name [but] they still gave Wayne the case.
“OJ in jail for tryna get his own s### back,” Slim Thug continued. “Plaxico got 3 yrs for shooting himself, Vick got 2yrs and lost all his money for fighting dogs. If any of these people wasn’t successful black men they would not be in trouble or facing that big of a sentence. I know y’all might like dogs, but no dog is worth 100 million I been to dog fights saw people get caught and get rt out (noncelebs).”
Though the general attitude within the Hip-Hop community seems to be one of support for Lil’ Wayne, the single comment issued by budding BET reality star Antonia “Toya” Carter, would seem to indicate that perhaps Wayne has not received the level of support those close to him might have expected.
“I swear I hate fake n***as,” she tweeted minutes after news of the verdict spread across the internet. “When s**t all good, everybody around, but when u down, nobody wants to b around… pray for Wayne y’all.”
By the close of the day, much Lil Wayne chatter had turned to the release of two new tracks slated to appear on Wayne’s next mixtape No Ceilings.
Both untitled songs are freestyles, one using F.L.Y.’s “Swag Surfin'” instrumental, and the other borrowing Gucci Mane’s latest single, “Wasted.”
No Ceiling will be released as a free download on October 31.