( CNN ) -- PepsiCo is ending its relationship with rapper Lil Wayne over what the company calls an `` offensive reference to a revered civil rights icon '' -- 14-year-old Emmett Till , who was killed nearly 60 years ago . The rap superstar , featured in the song `` Karate Chop '' by Future , says : `` Beat that p -- -- up like Emmett Till . '' Till , a 14-year-old black youth , was killed in Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman . He was beaten to the extent that his face was unrecognizable when his body was discovered . He was identified by a monogrammed ring belonging to his father . Mountain Dew , a brand of PepsiCo , said Friday its relationship with the rapper would end . A Mountain Dew spokesman told CNN , `` We do not plan any additional work with Lil Wayne moving forward . His offensive reference to a revered civil rights icon does not reflect the values of our brand . '' The spokesman declined to comment on the company 's previous relationship with the artist . Sarah Cunningham , publicist for Lil Wayne 's record label , Young Money , issued the following statement to CNN : `` I can confirm that due to creative differences , we mutually decided to part ways . It was amicable . '' Till , a Chicago teenager who was visiting relatives in Mississippi in 1955 , was arrested at gunpoint and severely beaten . One of his eyes was gouged before he was killed by a single gunshot to the head . The teen 's body was tied to a large fan before being dumped into a river . Members of the Till family could not be reached for comment Friday by CNN , but the Rev . Al Sharpton said he has set up a meeting next week between PepsiCo officials and members of the family . In a statement to CNN , Sharpton said that the situation was a `` teaching moment for Lil Wayne , corporate America and the family of Emmett Till ... more than a condemnation of any one artist , it is an affirmation of Emmett Till and a call for more sensitivity about what we say and do in our culture . ''
Lil Wayne 's lyrics include what PepsiCo calls an `` offensive reference '' to Emmett Till . Till , a 14-year-old black youth from Chicago , was murdered in Mississippi in 1955 . A publicist for the rapper 's label says the artist and the company parted ways amicably .