Rapper Lil Wayne Pardoned by Trump On His Last Day In Office As US President

Lil Wayne and Kodak Black have been pardoned by Donald Trump.

Late on Tuesday (Jan. 19), in his last full day in office, the president pardoned over 100 people, including his former campaign manager Steve Bannon and former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Wikileaks’ Julian Assange and Edward Snowden were not on the list.

Lil Wayne, born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr, pleaded guilty to illegally possessing a loaded weapon on a private jet while traveling to Miami in December 2020. Carter is a convicted felon, stemming from a gun charge in 2007, which meant he was looking at 10 years in prison when sentenced on Jan. 28.

Carter’s pardon was hardly surprising after the Grammy-winning artist inexplicably endorsed Trump for reelection last October and posed for a picture, which he was heavily criticized for on social media.

“Just had a great meeting with @realdonaldtrump @potus besides what he’s done so far with criminal reform, the platinum plan is going to give the community real ownership. He listened to what we had to say today and assured he will and can get it done,” Carter wrote in a Twitter message that included the picture.

It was on Dec. 23, 2019, that an anonymous tip led Miami police officers and federal agents to search Carter’s jet when they found the loaded gun, in addition to reportedly cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, heroin, pain killers and prescription-strength cough syrup, along with nearly $26,000 in cash. Carter was not charged with any drug offenses.

Kodak Black, born Bill Kahan Kapri, is in federal prison after pleading guilty to a firearms possession charge after being detained at the Canadian-American border in March 2020.