Lil Wayne, Kodak Black get clemency

Two rappers were among the entertainment figures included in a list of 140 people who were pardoned or had their sentences commuted by President Donald Trump in a last-minute clemency flurry early Wednesday.

≤ Rapper Lil Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was given a full pardon. The Grammy-winner was charged in Florida on Nov. 17 with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, a federal offense that carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison. In the pardon, Lil Wayne was praised for his “commitment to a variety of charities, including donations to research hospitals and a host of foodbanks.” Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders backed the pardon.

≤ Rapper Kodak Black, born Bill K. Kapri, was granted a commutation. The “Tunnel Vision” rapper is serving a three-year prison sentence for falsifying documents used to purchase weapons at a Miami gun store. Supporters included Gucci Mane, Lil Pump, Lil Yachty, and athletes Lamar Jackson and Jack Brewer.

≤ Desiree Perez, CEO of Roc Nation, was granted a full pardon. Perez was arrested in 1994 for drug possession, and in 1998 for grand larceny and possession of a firearm. In 2019, she was named head of the entertainment company founded by rapper Jay-Z.

≤ “Tiger King” Joe Exotic had hoped for good news, but it was not to be. The zookeeper-turned-reality-TV-star was sentenced in January 2020 to 22 years in federal prison for violating federal wildlife laws and for his role in a failed murder-for-hire plot. His team was so confident in a pardon that they’d readied a celebratory limousine and a hair-and-wardrobe team to whisk him away from a Texas prison. But he wasn’t on the list announced Wednesday morning. Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was featured in the Netflix documentary “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.”