Nicki Minaj threw the social media world into an uproar last week when she posted the cover art for her latest single, “Anaconda.” The single was set to be released this week, but the star announced yesterday that it will not debut next Monday, August 4th.
If you haven’t not seen the cover art by now, it is a revealing photo of the rapper crouching backwards in a hot pink bikini thong that leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. Minaj claims the postponement of the single isn’t the result of backlash for the racy cover. In fact, she announced the delay by releasing even racier photos.
When Minaj posted the cover art on Instagram, it went viral almost instantly. The butt-exposing image was tweeted about and reposted on Instagram, and then the memes popped up everywhere. Minaj’s dedicated fans, her Barbiez or Team Minaj, seemed to embrace the photo with open arms. Others, however, were not so happy with the nude display.
To combat the backlash and to point out a double standard, Minaj took to Instagram again. This time she posted pictures of white and light skin models displaying their buttocks in advertisements also. The image featured Chrissy Teigen, Nina Agdal, and Lily Aldridge on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue with the caption: “Acceptable.” Minaj has a point. If white women can show it all and be labeled as classy, sexy, or just plain “modelesque,” then why can’t she?
Even some people from the hip hop industry are anti-Nicki because of this photo. The owner of AllHipHop.com, Chuck Creekmur, wrote “Dear Nicki Minaj: An Open Letter from a Father” for MommyNoire.com. In the letter he states how supportive he is and has been of her career, but now needs to reevaluate his support, as he realizes his young daughter could take after her. Cheekmur writes:
“Nicki is already evolving into somebody that my daughter may get to listen to on my watch. Maybe. I’ve been in the music game a minute now so I know how it goes. So, when I peeped the artwork for your latest single, I wasn’t even shocked, I was just disappointed. “
Cheekmur even suggests Minaj seek a mini-therapy session, asking her to look within and reflect on some questions about herself, like:
“How is Onika Tanya Maraj doing? What is your higher purpose with young girls (and boys)? How will boys, already conditioned to sexualize girls at a young age, internalize this big booty of yours?”
Others, however, are not so surprised by the photo. Jamilah Lemieux, senior editor of Ebony magazine criticizes Creekmur for criticizing Minaj, saying that his letter was “ill-conceived and wrought with irony.” On Ebony.com, she writes:
“As a still somewhat-new mother of a daughter, I didn’t share Creekmur’s fear that Minaj’s bare bottom is what forces young men to ‘sexualize girls at a young age.’ Instead, I was annoyed that once again, a man has suggested that the onus of behaving ‘respectably’ should be placed on the shoulders of a woman, while men and boys pretty much get a free pass to do whatever we ‘let’ them do. Because surely, they require our permission to ‘sexualize’ us, right?”
Then, there are people that completely embrace the photo, like Katy Perry:
I wanna take a nap on dat pillow doe @NICKIMINAJ
— KATY PERRY (@katyperry) July 25, 2014
What do you think about the “Anaconda” cover art backlash? Is this an artistic expression? Or has Minaj finally gone too far?