The hip hop community and social media in general went into a frenzy when it was confirmed the Donald Trump pardoned the likes of Lil Wayne and Kodak Black during his final full day as president of the United States.
There was much chatter leading up to this major reveal with news outlets reporting that Trump was preparing paperwork to make these clemency arrangements final. However, the public would have to wait a couple of weeks before everything was proven to be true.
As REVOLT previously reported, the Funeral rapper was charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition as a felon after an anonymous tip was made, which led Miami police officers to search Wayne’s private jet. That’s when authorities found a gun as well as drugs like cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, heroin, pain killers. Even prescription-strength cough syrup was found with $26,000 in cash (money… get it?). Wayne would plead guilty to the gun charges in December 2020, and had the possibility of serving a minimum of 10 years in prison.
In regard to Black, up until this point, he served over one year of his 46-month sentence behind bars for falsifying information on federal forms in order to purchase four firearms from a Miami gun shop.
Since the pardons, Bradford Cohen, an the attorney who represented both Black and Wayne, issued a statement to XXL. “President Trump and his administration have been tireless advocates on behalf of the African-American community,” he said. “These pardons is [sic] a perfect example of this administration following up on its reforms and commitments. Thank you to President Trump for his advocacy and dedication to justice reform.”
We can’t wait to hear what Wayne and Black will say about their pardons. In the meantime, social media has already had a lot to say.