Music

Nicki Minaj Stirs Controversy With New Song Teaser Featuring Rosa Parks Lyric

"All you bitches Rosa Parks/Uh-oh/Get your ass up," Minaj raps on the tentatively titled "Yikes."

minaj
Image via Getty/Rich Fury
Getty

Judging by a recently uploaded IG clip from Nicki Minaj, the Queen artist is indeed back to making new music despite previous talks of retirement.

The tease comes from a song that may or may not be called "Yikes" and opens with a line lamenting the suddenly higher price of cocaine ("woke up/the price of coke up") noticed by the narrator as they awaken from some sort of deep slumber. From there, Minaj makes her way to the line that's currently receiving the most attention thanks to its mention of the late civil rights activist Rosa Parks.

The yet-to-be-released track, produced by Pooh Beatz, sees Minaj rapping the following:

The track then moves into what is seemingly the hook, with Minaj reminding detractors they are all clowns "for life." And yes, there's an It nod in there too.

The timing and general sentiment behind the Rosa Parks line, however, has been met with criticism from some listeners. While the clip was shared on Monday, some have noted that Tuesday—Feb. 4—marks what would have been Rosa Parks' 107th birthday. However, others have defended the line as being no more or less offensive than lines from Eminem or Lil Wayne's catalog, or even from Minaj's own discography:

Related Stories

Nicki Minaj
music

Nicki Minaj Responds to Criticism for Harriet Tubman Comparison

The 'Queen' rapper reiterated the controversial comparison between herself and Harriet Tubman during episode four of her Beats 1 radio show: "I am the new Harriet Tubman."

Joshua Espinoza2814 days ago
Nicki Minaj
music

Nicki Minaj's 'Queen' Album Is Here

Nicki Minaj has finally released her new album 'Queen' featuring a number of guests. You can stream the long-awaited project now.

Joshua Espinoza2825 days ago
Nicki Minaj
music

Stream Episode 9 of Nicki Minaj's 'Queen Radio'

More than a month after episode eight of 'Queen Radio,' Nicki Minaj returns to hosting duties.

Joshua Espinoza2762 days ago

Following the release of Queen back in 2018, Minaj has shared a pair of new singles—"Megatron" and "Tusa"—as well as continued to pop up as a guest on singles and remixes from Avril Lavigne, Megan Thee Stallion, Pop Smoke, Meghan Trainor, and more.

Stay ahead on Exclusives

Download the Complex App