Amaar Burton
Hollywood heavyweight Michael B. Jordan found himself at the center of controversy after hip-hop superstar Nicki Minaj encouraged him to change the name of his new liquor brand.
Jordan recently announced the launch of J’Ouvert rum. The name “J’Ouvert” is commonly used in relation to carnival celebrations on the Caribbean islands. However, “J’Ouvert” also has darker historical connections to slavery in Trinidad.
Many social media users pointed out the offensive nature of the word. Jordan was also accused of cultural appropriation, since he does not have any known Caribbean roots.
Nicki Minaj, who was born in Trinidad, shared her thoughts on the issue with her 142 million Instagram followers — which intensified the public pressure on Jordan and his partners.
While Nicki says she doesn’t believe Jordan intentionally meant to offend anyone, she still requested he change the brand name. The award-winning actor agreed and said he would find a new name for his product.
