Nicki Minaj uses Malcolm X pic for new single ‘Lookin A** Ni**a’

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Rapper Nicki Minaj has released the music video for her new single “Lookin’ A** N*gga,” along with album artwork that some find offensive.

The cover for “Lookin’ A** N*gga,” an aggressive, profanity-laden song, uses an iconic picture of Malcolm X looking out the window of his home while holding a rifle to make a statement.

A Change.org petition has been started calling for the “Super Bass” performer to replace it with something else.

The petition says that photo is “disrespectful to the life and legacy of Malcolm X and all that he fought against and represented.”

There also has been an outpouring of negative reaction against the cover across various social media platforms.

In fairness to Minaj, she is not the first hip-hop artist to appropriate the famous photo of the late Nation of Islam leader. KRS-One posed in a nearly identical picture for the cover of his classic 1988 Boogie Down Productions’ album By All Means Necessary:

Still, this isn’t the first time Cash Money has been in trouble for disrespecting a civil rights icon.

In July 2013, Lil Wayne was widely criticized for comparing a sexual act to the murder of the late Emmett Till on Future’s “Karate Chop Remix.”

Lil Wayne lost valuable endorsements behind the song, which was quickly pulled from circulation, and he penned an apology letter to the Till family.

According to the Associated Press, the picture has been deleted from Minaj’s Instagram account, but was still on her website today.

This afternoon Minaj used her Instagram account to apologize for offending the Malcolm X estate, stating that the controversial album imagery was never the official artwork and “Lookin’ A** N*gga” wasn’t an official single.

You can check out Kyle’s musical coverage on theGrio music page, and follow Kyle on Twitter at@HarveyWins.