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Michael B Jordan is onto some new ventures. Jordan is launching his own rum brand but the brand’s name has a connection to a Caribbean celebration. Michael received backlash from many people on rum’s name including Nicki Minaj.
Michael B Jordan is a very popular American actor who is currently dating Lori Harvey. Lori is a fresh face who is entering the modeling industry. Michael has a very successful career as an actor. One of his famous movies is Black Panther but it seems like the actor wanted more. Thus, Michael thought of starting his own rum brand.
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Michael’s girlfriend, Lori congratulated her boyfriend on the new venture he is starting. She posted a picture on Instagram in which Michael is standing next to a sign that says J’Ouvert and in the caption she says:
Congratulations on the launch of your rum baby! I’m so proud of you!
When Lori started dating Michael in January she posted the picture of the rum’s box. The words written on the box were:
Derived from the Antellian Creole French term meaning ‘daybreak,’ J’Ouvert originated in the pre-dawn streets of Trinidad, as celebrations of emancipation combined with Carnival season to serve as the festival’s informal commencements. Crafted on those same islands, J’Ouvert Rum is a tribute to the ‘party start’
People including Nicki Minaj call out Michael B Jordan on his rum’s name
Well, seems like there might be a conflict. Basically, the word J’Ouvert is a name of a Caribbean celebration. The name is connected to the beginning of Carnival and is also associated with the emancipation from slavery that originated in Trinidad. It just seems very culture appropriating and that’s what the fans and Nicki Minaj pointed out.
Nicki posted a long post on Instagram in which she pointed out that the rum’s brand name might be offensive to Caribbean people and she wants Michael B Jordan to change it. The caption read:
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. 🙏🏾🇹🇹 #jouvert
Many Twitter user were certainly mad at the actor for used that name.
Michael adresses the Issue
Michael B Jordan was very quick to address this issue. He apologized for it and said that there are some discussions happening as well about this situation. The actor said in his Instagram stories on Wednesday that:
I just wanna say on behalf of myself and my partners, our intention was never to offend or hurt a culture (we love and respect) and hoped to celebrate and shine a positive light on it. The last few days have been a lot of listening. A lot of learning and engaging in countless community conversations. We hear you. I hear you and want to be clear that we are in the process of renaming. We sincerely apologize and look forward to introducing a brand we can all be proud of.
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