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This month Nicki Minaj surprised fans with an in-studio clip of a new song tentatively titled “Yikes,” but a line about Rosa Parks was found tasteless by some. It prompted those close to the rapper to reportedly issue an explanation – and an apology of sorts.
“All you bitches Rosa Parks, uh-oh, get your ass up,” boasts the snippet posted on Minaj’s Instagram page Tuesday. While some of Minaj’s supporters defended the line as just another example of the vainglorious content the female emcee has become known for, the fact that she shared this video on what would have been the civil rights activist’s 107th birthday lead critics to double down on their insistence that it was inappropriate.
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According to a report from TMZ, sources “connected to” Minaj said that while the entertainer is aware of the blowback the lyric has received she didn’t “in any way” write the line in an effort to diss Parks.
“It was a coincidence and in hindsight . . . we’re told maybe bad timing,” the sources explain, going on to note that Minaj recognizes the impact of Parks and hopes her fans know she would never intentionally undermine her legacy.
Happy Birthday Rosa!
All Tuesday people posted tributes to Parks, posting quotes and never before seen pictures of her on their social media timelines.
My fave all time photo.
Ever ever.
Rosa Parks wouldn't get up
so I could sit down✊🏽 🚎
Thanks mommy @DoloresRobinson for capturing this moment. 📷🙏🏽 #BlackHistoryMonth #BHM #BHM2020 #rosaparks #momofcivilrights pic.twitter.com/Q9z2cZBaIF— Holly Robinson Peete 💃🏾♍️ (@hollyrpeete) February 4, 2020
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“this picture of rosa parks getting her hair done will always be my favorite,” wrote one user. “i love seeing our ancestors who fought for freedom doing “normal, everyday things,” because it’s a reminder that they were more than their work. they were real people who sacrificed a lot for liberation.”
“My fave all time photo. Ever ever,” wrote actress Holly Robinson Pete in the caption of a photo of her and Parks. “Rosa Parks wouldn’t get up so I could sit down. Thanks mommy @DoloresRobinson for capturing this moment.”
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