Lil Wayne says 'not all cops' as he recalls how white officer saved him at 12, fans call him most sensible
Lil Wayne is addressing criticism over his recent statements regarding police brutality and the death of George Floyd. In a live Instagram broadcast on May 28 with fellow rapper Fat Joe, Wayne said that those who are upset over Floyd's death should concentrate on what Americans can do as individuals to address the problems in the society than demonize all police or all Americans of a certain race.
"I think when we see these situations, I think we also have to understand that we have to get very specific," he said. "And what I mean by that is we have to stop viewing it with such a broad view, meaning we have to stop placing the blame on the whole force and the whole everybody or a certain race or everybody with a badge," he said, adding, "We have to actually get into who that person is. And if we want to place the blame on anybody, it should be ourselves for not doing more than what we think we’re doing." While some called his remarks controversial, others praised Wayne. Fox Nation's Tomi Lahren endorsed the rapper for his remarks. On her Fox Nation show 'Final Thoughts', she said, "Some, like Chrissy Teigen, have taken this tragedy as a time to encourage lawlessness, while others, like Lil Wayne, have taken a much different approach. An approach that has made him the target of outrage culture and to some, a traitor." She continued, "Why?" He chose not to fall in line with the popular narrative that law enforcement as a whole deserves to be demonized."
Wayne has also spoken about an encounter he has had with the police last week, on Apple Music's 'Young Money Radio', explaining his feelings about law enforcement in light of George Floyd's death and the following protests. "My life was saved when I was young," he said on the show. "I was 12 or something, I think. Shot myself. I was saved by a white cop, Uncle Bob (Robert Hoobler). So you have to understand... you have to understand the way I view police, period. I was saved by a white cop."
He added, "There was a bunch of black cops jumped over me when they saw me at that door, laying on the floor with that hole in my chest. He refused to. Those black cops jumped over me, and ran through the crib, and said, 'We found the gun, we found this, we found that.' He said, 'I found this baby on this floor. I need to get to a hospital.' He didn’t wait for an ambulance. He took his car. He made somebody drive it, and he made sure that I lived."
Fans on Twitter are supporting the rapper over his remarks with one commenting, "This is why Lil Wayne is one of my favorite rappers. He is a logical thinker. He has always thought logically when it comes to police officers because a police officer saved his life when he was younger. A white police officer. So he knows not all of them are so called racist." One more said, "Lil Wayne got it so right. Wish he could push his message out to the young people destroying businesses and their own lives." One fan wrote, "The peaceful protesters out there are being drowned out by violent criminals destroying property, looting, assaulting, and turning communities into rubble. Not all police officers are Derek Chauvin and/or the other 3 Minneapolis police officers. They ruined it for everyone." Another shared, "Well said, Mr Wayne. Probably the most sensible and accurate statement I’ve heard so far. Thank you."
Fans might recall Wayne speaking about his experience with the former officer in the past. During his speech at the 2018 BET Hip-Hop Awards, he said that the officer "brought me to the hospital himself". Wayne said, "He refused to wait, he kicked in the doors. He said, 'You get whatever you gotta do and you make sure this child make it'... Not only did he refuse to sit, not only (didn't) he give me to the doctors, he refused to leave, he stayed and made sure that I made it."