The 23-year-old, best known in the industry as the driving force behind the emergence of Slap Rap for his hard-hitting lyrics, shocked insiders and fans alike when he released his latest album "The Pug of Thug" on Tuesday.

The album's cover features an image of Sing-a-Ling-a-Ding dressed only in high heels and a grossly oversized T-shirt. He also has a bib tied around his neck.

But it wasn't the album's lyrics or high heels that had people talking. No, everyone seemed distracted by the gigantic "Property of Melva" T-shirt he was wearing to worry about some silly footwear.

Melva, of course, is the name of Busta Nut's beloved mother. Melva, who weighed more than 375 pounds, died two weeks ago after choking on a chicken bone. While Busta Nut and Sing-a-Ling-a-Ding have engaged in a fierce rap battle for many years, experts say insulting an artist's mother has long been taboo.

"Talk about my speeding tickets, talk about my overgrown lawn, you can even talk about my love of fruity alcoholic drinks, but don't ever say a word about my mama," said I Know Music magazine editor Ed White. "That has been the golden rule of rap since the jheri curl was in style."

Sing-a-Ling-a-Ding's agent released the following statement after news of the controversy engulfed the rap world. "Busta's mama ain't even herre anymore, so why should he carre what I say about herr," Sing-a-Ling-a-Ding said in the release. "If I offended anyone with the album's cover that was my intention. I didn't get into this business to make friends. I got into it for the bitches."

Critics have praised the album's contents but cringe at its cover.

"If you look closely at the album cover, you can see grease stains on the bib and T-shirt," music reviewer Tiger Undo said. "Those marks are a deliberate attempt to humiliate Busta since we all know by now that Busta's mother had difficulty using the phone to dial 911 while she choked because of the chicken grease on her fingers. Her inability to call for help contributed to her death and that's deep. Much deeper than the deep fried chicken she loved."

The fuss hasn't hurt record sales as Sing-a-Ling-a-Ding's album has been atop the charts since its debut. Over the weekend he mingled with fans at several clubs and signed autographs while wearing a "Nobody Trusta Busta" T-shirt. The T-shirt sold out in just 10 minutes after being on his record label's website.

"I definitely like his material and this album," fan Evelyn Rose said. "The T-shirt is pretty cool too. It probably has made me more aware of what I put in my mouth and I think that's a good thing. Melva's death was not in vain."

Busta Nut has not publicly commented on his rival's diss but sources close to him say he is one angry rapper. He has an album due out next month but is apparently delaying its release so he can work on new tracks in defense of his mother.

"Talk is cheap but Busta is going to let his rapping do the talking," said a friend. "And if it takes a T-shirt to get his revenge and message across, you can bet Busta will carve out Sing-a-Ling-a-Ding's heart to wear on his sleeve."