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Michael B. Jordan is renaming his rum label following allegations of cultural appropriation

Michael B. Jordan is renaming his rum label following allegations of cultural appropriation
Cast member Michael B. Jordon poses during Photocall for the film "Fahrenheit 451" at the 71st Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 12, 2018.
PHOTO: Reuters

Michael B. Jordan is renaming his rum label following allegations of cultural appropriation.

The Black Panther star has responded to the backlash after he filed to trademark the word "J'Ouvert" - which is rooted in Caribbean and Trinbagonian culture - for his alcohol brand.

The term - which is derived from the French "jour ouvert", which means day break or morning - marks the beginning of Carnival, and both the word and celebrations are associated with the emancipation of enslaved people.

Responding to criticism of the name, Michael wrote on his Instagram Story: "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.

"Last few days have been a lot of listening. A lot of learning & engaging in countless community conversations...

"We hear you. I hear you and want to be clear that we are in renaming.

"We sincerely apologise and look forward to introducing a brand we can all be proud of."

Earlier this week, Nicki Minaj addressed the controversy and shared a history lesson penned by another social media user about the term and its significance.

She added that while she was "sure" the 34-year-old actor wasn't aware of the issues with the name, he should now consider changing the branding after people had brought it to his attention..

She wrote on Instagram: "I'm sure MBJ didn't intentionally do anything he thought Caribbean people would find offensive - but now that you are aware, change the name and continue to flourish and prosper. #jouvert"

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/CQcBfxiLWC0/[/embed]

A Change.org petition had also been set up in an attempt to get the trademark filing dismissed.

Fans also took offence to a line in the filing which claimed "J'Ouvert" has "no meaning in any language".

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