Photo: Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET
<p>With hip hop recently commemorating its 50th anniversary, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CxWKFKbAR9U/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EBONY</a> came thru and featured <em>the</em> Queen Bee, <strong>Lil&#8217; Kim</strong>, on the cover of its celebratory issue.</p>
<p>However, the cover photo sparked some commentary that prompted photography director <strong><a href="https://www.instagram.com/keithmajor/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Keith Major</a> </strong>to chime in. Soon after, Lil&#8217; Kim and her team entered the chat, accusing the publication of not going with the approved photo.</p>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">RELATED: <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/listicle/birthday-queen-bee-lil-kim/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HBD, Queen Bee! 10 Times Lil&#8217; Kim Came Thru &; ATE On A Track</a></h5>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">The Conversation Started Right After EBONY Shared The Cover Photo</h3>
<p>EBONY unveiled the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxYU5FfggZx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cover</a> earlier this week, and it paid homage to Lil&#8217; Kim&#8217;s impact on the genre.</p>
<p>Donning a golden ivy crown and dressed in light pink while surrounded by neutrals, the cover featured her majestically posing for the noteworthy occasion.</p>
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<p>Beneath <strong>The Shade Room</strong>&#8216;s upload to highlight the cover, users shared their reactions. One Roomie going by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cassygram/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@cassygram</a> penned, <strong><em>&#8220;HEAVYYYYYYY on the editing lol.&#8221;</em></strong></p>
<p>Similarly, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/underground_nyc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@underground_nyc</a> remarked, <strong><em>&#8220;They could&#8217;ve went alittle lighter on the photoshop…….&#8221;</em></strong></p>
<p>Another user, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/trishann1720/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@trishaan1720</a>, declared that the image was &#8220;giving AI.&#8221;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Keith Major Chimes In &; Lil&#8217; Kim Says The Image Wasn&#8217;t &#8220;Approved&#8221;</h3>
<p>In response to some of the chatter, Keith Major responded to a user and stated, <strong><em>&#8220;Man, she wanted to be in control of the retouching, so this is what we got.&#8221; </em></strong></p>
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<p>This comment swiftly picked up steam among users, leading to the &#8220;How Many Licks?&#8221; rapper acknowledging the matter on her Instagram Story.</p>
<p>Over a screenshot of the image, Lil&#8217; Kim stated, <strong><em>&#8220;Who is this?! Cuz that&#8217;s not the photo I approved or any other content they put out.&#8221;</em></strong></p>
<p>After calling the decision &#8220;sabotage,&#8221; she wrote, <strong><em>&#8220;The funny s**t about this, is that this is THEIR retoucher.&#8221;</em></strong></p>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">More Commentary &; Reactions: &#8220;That&#8217;s The Same Picture&#8221;</h3>
<p>After Lil&#8217; Kim spoke out, a member of her team chimed in and said they supposedly have &#8220;receipts&#8221; to confirm the story before declaring, <strong><em>&#8220;We definitely didn&#8217;t choose that other flick.&#8221;</em></strong></p>
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<p>It&#8217;s worth adding that Lil&#8217; Kim also shared a comment from a user going by <a href="https://twitter.com/rayeesuh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@rayeesuh</a>, who describes herself as Lil&#8217; Kim&#8217;s &#8220;digital media manager.&#8221;</p>
<p>She pushed back against Keith&#8217;s statement by saying his &#8220;photos exposure was so low [they] couldn&#8217;t even salvage them.&#8221;</p>
<p>The user also shared, <strong><em>&#8220;I heard you got fired after this s**t. Let&#8217;s talk about that, sir.&#8221;</em></strong></p>
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<p>While it&#8217;s unclear if there&#8217;s any validity to this claim, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/keithmajorphoto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a> suggests that Keith Major&#8217;s time at EBONY ended in July.</p>
<p>Regardless of who was behind the decision-making, though, some Roomies commented on the apparent lack of a difference between the two images in question.</p>
<p>Beneath one of <strong>The Shade Room</strong>&#8216;s Instagram posts on the situation, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/luvin_sofiamarie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@luvin_sofiamarie</a> wrote, <strong><em>&#8220;Girllll bye that’s the same picture one on an android the other on a iPhone..cut it out..&#8221;</em></strong></p>
<p>As for <a href="https://www.instagram.com/m_liz_v/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@m_liz_v</a>, she declared, <strong><em>&#8220;Girl you don&#8217;t even look like you in either one lol.&#8221;</em></strong></p>
<p>Another Roomie going by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/helpfulhandsmarci/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@helpfulhandsmarci</a> called the matter a waste of time.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Not she just wasted our time. Girl this the same but different color filter. Y&#8217;all let&#8217;s go to bed.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">RELATED: <a href="https://dev.theshaderoom.com/listicle/lil-kim-lil-uzi-verts-just-wanna-rock-dance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(WATCH) Lil&#8217; Kim Puts Her Spin On Lil Uzi Vert&#8217;s &#8216;Just Wanna Rock&#8217; Dance, Social Media Reacts</a></h5>
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