Nicki Minaj has come under fire for going into fire with Malcolm X in the artwork for her new song, 'Lookin' Ass N----,' and she's apologizing for the misunderstanding.

Following the visuals for her female-empowering anthemic track, the 'Pink Friday' rapper set the Twitter world ablaze in a not so positive way when she unveiled the single's artwork. The 'Lookin Ass N----' artwork depicts Malcolm X peering out of a window while holding a rifle. The artwork (which was removed from her Instagram page) caused a backlash that sparked two petitions from Change.org from activists Rosa Clemente and Kevin Powell.

Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
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During an interview with Hot 97's Angie Martinez on Thursday (Feb. 13), Minaj addressed the controversial backlash for the single's artwork, in which she felt was misunderstood. She apologized for offending

"It was just a parallel in my opinion because he has this big gun ready to shoot lookin' ass bleeps and so that's how I looked at it," Minaj told Martinez. "I look at it like, 'Yo, this is one of the most memorable people in black history that really voiced his opinion no matter what.' And I understand how my intent was overlooked and I didn't want to offend the family or his legacy. This record is not to be disrespectful to someone's legacy. It was not the official artwork anyway."

The 31-year-old rhymer also shared her thoughts on the backlash in a post on Instagram. "What seems to be the issue now? Do you have a problem with me referring to the people Malcolm X was ready to pull his gun out on as Lookin Ass N----z? Well, I apologize. That was never the official artwork nor is this an official single. This is a conversation. Not a single. I am in the video shooting at Lookin Ass N----z and there happened to be an iconic photo of Malcolm X ready to do the same thing for what he believed in!!!!"

Nicki Minaj's 'Lookin Ass N----' will appear on Young Money's compilation album, 'Rise of an Empire,' as well as Nicki's upcoming third LP, 'The Pink Print.'

Listen to Nicki Minaj's Apology on Hot 97

 Watch Nicki Minaj's 'Lookin Ass N----' Video

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