The 'Anaconda' rapper is accused of disrespecting the late African-American civil rights icon as snippet of her new track is revealed on what would have been the activist's birthday.
- Feb 5, 2020
AceShowbiz - Nicki Minaj has been left red-faced by a backlash against a new track referencing civil rights icon Rosa Parks.
Nicki teased a snippet of her new song "Yikes" including the line, "All you b**ches Rosa Parks / Uh oh, get your a** up," on Monday, February 3, 2020 - the day before what would have been Park's birthday.
The lyrics prompted a backlash on Twitter, however, with many accusing the "Anaconda" hitmaker of disrespecting the African-American icon.
Sources connected to the rapper tell TMZ.com Nicki's aware of the backlash but that she meant no disrespect to the civil rights activist, who passed away in 2005, and that the timing of its debut was an unlucky coincidence as she was merely trying to give fans a taste of her new music.
Twitter users had expressed anger, however, with one writing, "Nicki Minaj need to leave Rosa Parks (alone)," and others pointing out that the civil rights figure famously did not get up, but in fact stayed seated, when asked to relinquish her seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama in 1954 - sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott protests.
"Rosa Parks would have been 107 years old if she was still living to see her birthday today," journalist Ernest Owens pointed out. "Y'all go remind Nicki Minaj that. Quick history lesson: She never got up, she stayed seated. The lyric makes no sense."
However, others were amused or impressed by the lyrics, with one fan writing, "Thinking about Nicki Minaj coming back from a hiatus and being talked about for ONE BAR she wrote about Rosa Parks. This is IMPACT. This is POWER. She's a GENIUS."
