‘Black Panther’ actor Michael B. Jordan apologizes after being accused of cultural appropriation

Actor Michael B. Jordan apologized on Tuesday and vowed to rectify the situation after being accused by Nicki Minaj and others of culturally appropriating the name of a Caribbean carnival party for his new rum brand.

Jordan – who starred as villain Erik Killmonger in the 2018 Marvel movie ‘Black Panther’ – announced his new rum brand this past weekend, naming it after the annual Caribbean street party J’Ouvert, which originated in Trinidad and Tobago.

However, the US-born actor soon found himself accused of cultural appropriation by social media users with connections to the Caribbean.

Musician Nicki Minaj, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago, criticized Jordan’s choice of branding in an Instagram post on Tuesday, writing, “I’m sure MBJ didn’t intentionally do anything he thought Caribbean ppl would find offensive – but now that you are aware, change the name & continue to flourish & prosper.”

Others complained about Jordan’s “nerve to want to profit off West Indian culture” without having any connection to it, and declared, “Black Capitalism is still Capitalism,” while a petition demanding that Jordan end his trademark attempt for J’Ouvert received over 12,000 signatures.

The backlash prompted Jordan to apologize for the branding in his own statement on Tuesday, and the actor vowed to rename his rum brand going forward.

“I just wanna say on behalf of myself & my partners, our intention was never to offend or hurt a culture (we love & respect) & hoped to celebrate & shine a positive light on,” Jordan declared, adding, “I hear you & want to be clear that we are in the process of renaming.”

“We sincerely apologize & look forward to introducing a brand we can all be proud of,” he concluded.

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