Wiz Khalifa updates: Rapper offers apology after stirring controversy with Pablo Escobar tribute

Rapper Wiz Khalifa is shown in this 2015 photo.Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

Wiz Khalifa's recent visit to Colombia has stirred some controversy as the American rapper posted a photo on his social media account showing him paying tribute to the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.

According to reports, Khalifa was recently in Colombia to perform in a festival in Medellin. While it is apparent that the rapper's trip to the South American country was primarily because of work, he managed to sneak in a visit to Escobar's grave in his schedule.

Based on the photos uploaded by the rapper on his Instagram account, it was apparent that he paid tribute to the deceased Colombian drug lord as the photo shows a floral arrangement beside Escobar's grave. As if that were not enough, Khalifa also posted a few other photos that angered many Colombians, including one showing him smoking what is believed to be marijuana near Escobar's grave, and another taken at a former property of the drug lord where an assassination attempt on him happened in the 1980s.

Since Khalifa posted the said photos, numerous netizens have shared their two cents' worth on social media. While there were some who defended the rapper, many have expressed their disappointment and criticized Khalifa, accusing the rapper of insensitivity toward those who perished during Escobar's reign of terror.

"That scoundrel, instead of bringing flowers to Pablo Escobar, he should have brought flowers to the victims of violence in this city. He must offer an apology to the city," Federico Gutierrez, Medellin's mayor, told the Colombian press.

With the negative reactions on his Instagram posts, it has been learned that Khalifa took down the photos of his tribute to Escobar while maintaining the one showing him smoking weed. In his recent Instagram post, Khalifa offered an apology, saying that it was never his intention to offend anybody with his personal activities in Colombia.