Eve has gone after Nicki Minaj over her controversial magazine cover

The 39-year-old singer doesn't approve of the provocative image, which features the 'Anaconda' singer having a threesome with herself, and doesn't think posing for the raunchy image - which was taken by photographer Ellen Von Unwerth and shows Nicki sitting topless on a leopard skin chair with her legs spread wide open with two scantily clad 'clones' of her draped across her in very suggestive poses - was the right thing for someone who is regarded as a "role model" to do.

Speaking on 'The Talk', she said: "I worked with Nicki, I got to know her on 'Barbershop'... she's a nice person, she's an amazing rapper, and as a lyricist I respect her... but as a woman, from my point of view, personally, I would not be able to do that.

"I think in this climate, it's not good. I think every artist has a right to express themselves however they want to express themselves and I respect that as well.

"For me personally, as I started coming up in the business, I started realising that young girls were looking up to me and younger people were looking up to me, and that, not that you want to be a role model, but it becomes what you become, it is what you are."

But the 'Who's That Girl?' hitmaker insists she still has a lot of love and respect for Nicki, 34, though she believes there are different ways to "be a voice" for young fans than by being provocative.

She continued: "As I've gotten older ... I'd just rather be a voice that's uplifting... I can be a voice for those girls that might not have a voice, in a different way without showing myself off ... For the Nicki fans, I love her, respect her. Go women in hip hop. It's not my thing. I just don't think it's right. Personally. Period. That's it."

Bang Showbiz.