Nicki Minaj channels her inner Cleopatra on topless album cover

Nicki Minaj has revealed the cover art for her fourth studio album, Queen, and to say it’s an eye-catching piece of work is an understatement.

The cover is, depending on the observer, either glamorous or raunchy — or perhaps a lot of both. Shot by fashion photographers Mert Alaş and Marcus Piggott, Minaj poses seductively in a scanty Egyptian-style getup against a striking orange background. But it’s admittedly hard to see much at first glance except the fact that she’s totally topless (except for an ornate necklace and crystal pasties).

The sexy photo, of course, garnered lots of opinions on social media, most of them seemingly from fans wiping the sweat off their brows after taking a good look.

And for those who lifted an eyebrow at the amount of skin and curves revealed? There’s a perfectly good explanation for that, too!

Queen will be released on Aug. 8 and marks Minaj’s first release since the critically acclaimed The Pinkprint in 2014. The rapper claims that the new set is her “greatest work to date.”

Minaj has already released two singles from the album, “Barbie Tingz” and “Chun-Li,” the latter of which has landed as high up as No. 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

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