Rapper Sexyy Red has apologized to Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter for sharing an AI-generated photo of herself with the popular civil rights icon.
The now-deleted X post, which was posted on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, featured the 26-year-old rapper holding hands with King in a busy nightclub.
King’s youngest child, Dr. Bernice King, took offense at the post and responded by requesting that the rapper remove it.
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“This is intentionally distasteful, dishonoring, deplorable, and disrespectful to my family and my father, who is not here to respond himself because he was assassinated for working for your civil and human rights,” King wrote.
King later denounced certain insulting personal remarks made about Red, writing, “I don’t believe Sexyy Red to be a ‘degenerate,’ ‘ghetto,’ or ‘trash.’ I have spoken out in the past about the use of and comparison to either of my parents to denigrate other people.”
She clarified, “I just don’t understand this type of use of my father’s image (on #MLKDay, no less), in a way that does not convey what we know to be true about his service and sacrifice. Even if you disagree with him or with his tactics or even believe things said about him by people who hated him, why do this?”
Subsequently, the “SkeeYee” rapper removed the post on Tuesday night and expressed regret to the King family.
Red posted, “You ain’t wrong, I never meant to disrespect your family; my apologies. Just resposted something I saw that I thought was innocent.”
King acknowledged the apology and expressed her respect for the rapper “as a human being.”
She responded, “Thank you for your apology, which I sincerely accept. Please know that it was not my intention that you be denigrated. I value you as a human being,” she wrote. “I hope you understand my concerns about the image.”
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She noted, “I know that my father has become a bit of a caricature to the world and that his image is often used with no regard to his family, his sacrificial work, or to the tragic, unjust way in which he died (a state-sanctioned assassination). Unfortunately, I regularly challenge the disregard,” adding, “I earnestly wish that people would imagine what it would feel like to see their deceased, murdered father repurposed for party fliers, unjust legislation, etc. All the best to you, young lady.”
This is not the first time that Sexyy Red has been criticized over a “political” remark. According to a Rolling Stone article, the rapper was the center of controversy in 2023 for explaining why some Black people backed President Donald Trump. A few months later, the rapper performed at the Governor’s Ball Music Festival while standing in front of a huge red baseball cap that read, “Make America Sexyy Again.”
The rapper went on to promote and vote for former Vice President Kamala Harris.
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