Rick Ross' faint apology for lyrics hits sour note

New York (CNN) -- Hip-hop artist Rick Ross apologized --sort of -- twice on Thursday for song lyrics that seem to allude to date rape, but many weren't buying it.

Ross has been taking heat since the song "U.O.E.N.O" was released in February. On Thursday, scores of protesters picketed outside a Reebok store in Manhattan and delivered a petition demanding the sportswear manufacturer drop Ross as a celebrity endorser.

In the song Ross raps: "Put molly all in her champagne, she ain't even know it. I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain't even know it."

"Molly" is a slang term for a powerful form of the psychoactive drug MDMA, commonly called ecstasy.

"We are asking Reebok to drop their endorsement deal with Rick Ross," said Shawna Thompson, a spokeswoman for UltraViolet, a women's rights group that led Thursday's protest. "The reason we are asking them to do is because Rick Ross recently rapped, bragging essentially, about drugging and raping women. We see this as an opportunity to elevate the fact that it's not OK to do that, and he shouldn't benefit from endorsement deals when he has rap lyrics like that."

Ross said Thursday on his Twitter account: "I dont condone rape. Apologies for the #lyric interpreted as rape. #BOSS"

Much of the Twittersphere reacted negatively.

@RadicalONFIRE wrote: "RICK ROSS needs to work on the sincerity of his apologies...just saying."

‏@AprilLeighTree: "Once again a mega-gross rapper promotes rape culture. @Reebok spokesperson & lowlife Rick Ross should be fired! #NotBuyingIt"

@lovetricialee: "Rick Ross is simply another expanse of how much further we have to go. Truly pathetic."

@weakforcouture: "I hate rick ross. He's an idiot who's trying to backpeddle out of a scandal he brought upon himself"

Two hours later Ross tried again: "Apologies to my many business partners,who would never promote violence against women. @ReebokClassics @ultraviolet"

That one didn't go over particularly well, either. Professor/author/activist Marc Lamont Hill tweeted: "The fact that @rickyrozay apologized clearly to @reebok after offering an 'i'm sorry y'all misunderstood and got mad at me' says everything."

Tweets supporting Ross are out there too, but most of them are promoting his video "Don't Kill My Vibe (Freestyle)," which was released Thursday.