Nègre est un substantif masculin (négresse au féminin) et un adjectif, désignant les Noirs.

En français, le substantif a pris avec le temps une connotation péjorative et raciste

“Nègre” is a masculine noun (“négresse” to female) and an adjective, designating blacks people.

In French, the noun has taken over time pejorative and racist connotation.

Nègre was a popular word during the colonial empires time to name African indigenous black people.

Nowadays, it is extremely outdated (unlike the N word). In the very rare cases it is still used, it can be quite offensive unless used in by black people themselves, especially in in the Négritude movement (Aimé Césaire, Léopold Sédar Senghor).

It can also be used without being offensive in arts (Art Nègre) and shouldn’t either be taken as offensive in the cover you cite being offbeat / satirical humour.

Nègre is also still used to name a ghostwriter.