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Trump Pardons Kodak Black, Lil Wayne

The popular rappers were both convicted on various weapons charges

Reporter Alex Meyerhoffer

On Wednesday January 20, Former President Donald Trump granted pardons to rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black for weapons charges. Both rap artists were pardoned before the former President before he left the White house.

Bill Kapri, A.K.A. Kodak Black, was sentenced 46 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, on weapons charges in November 2019. He pleaded guilty in August 2019 to knowingly making false written statements when trying to acquire firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer.

In April of 2019, Kodak Black was arrested on separate gun and drug charges near Niagara Falls while trying to enter the U.S. from Canada. He pleaded guilty earlier that year in March. He was found guilty of having marijuana on his person while entering the U.S.

Lil Wayne, a multi-platinum artist and record label founder who has won five Grammys, pleaded guilty to illegal gun possession on December 11, 2020. Lil Wayne was facing 10 years in prison following this and a previous 2019 arrest.

In 2009, Lil Wayne had previously pleaded guilty to a felony gun charge as part of a deal with New York prosecutors. This charge stemmed from his arrest in 2007 outside of New York City's Beacon Theater, in which a .40-caliber pistol was found on his tour bus.

Former president Donald Trump pardoned these charges. Kodak Black still faces prosecution in South Carolina for a 2016 sexual assault charge.