The Hip-Hop Double Standard: Why Are We So Hard On Nicki Minaj?

Why Are We So Hard On Nicki Minaj?

By now, you've probably seen the cover for Nicki Minaj's upcoming single, "Anaconda," and there is nothing subtle about it. Minaj has her back to the camera and is wearing nothing but a pink thong.

As expected, the cover has been polarizing. It prompted AllHipHop.com CEO Chuck Creekmur to pen an open letter to Minaj with concern about how the art will influence young girls, including his daughter. In turn, the letter has sparked fierce debate as well.

Creekmur, along with Jamilah Lemieux, Stacey Muhammad and Will Mega, joined HuffPost Live on Wednesday to talk about Creekmur's letter and the cover itself.

Much of the conversation centered around the intentions and publicity of Creekmur's note. Creekmur told host Marc Lamont Hill that his note was originally sparked by dealings with Minaj's people, who told Creekmur that the artist would be shifting her image to a more mature theme. Thus, when the cover art was released, Creekmur felt misled.

"The piece was written from a genuine place," Creekmur said. "It was rooted in my experience."

Lemieux, a senior editor at Ebony.com, wrote a response to Creekmur's letter saying Minaj is the least of hip hop's problems.

"I feel that the behavior that the men and women who are highlighted on AllHipHop.com and throughout the hip hop world and universe often engage in that is equally, if not more so, influential upon our children than what we saw in that particular cover and, in my opinion, more damaging," Lemieux said Wednesday.

Watch the rest of the clip above, and catch the rest of the HuffPost Live conversation here.

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