Cardi B Reveals Why She Doesn't Talk About Politics Like She Used To
Cardi B is an incredible presence in the music industry, and she is consistently working to uplift other women and people of color. When Billboard asked if she thought of herself as an activist back in 2020, Cardi didn't have a sure answer but said, "I like fairness, and I have compassion toward everybody. This is the type of person that I've always been." She also made sure to credit activists that inspired her, including Tamika Mallory and Shaun King. "I just want to be a person with a platform that believes in good," she said.
But in October 2021, Cardi responded to a Twitter user who accused her of stepping back from her previous political stance in the public eye. They wrote, "@iamcardib Used to TALK ABOUT POLITICS & POLITICAL MATTERS! WHAT HAPPENED WITH THAT ?!??" Cardi quote tweeted her response, saying, "I was tired of getting bullied by the republicans and also getting bashed by the same people I was standing up for."
In the past, the rapper had even expressed interest in getting involved with politics herself; in January 2020, she tweeted, "I think I want to be a politician ... I really love government even tho I don't agree with [our] Government."
Cardi also made sure her voice was heard in the months leading up to the contentious 2020 presidential election, sitting down with Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders in April and then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden that August.
She was criticized for the way she talks
Cardi B's political outreach received criticism from conservatives like Ben Shapiro and Candice Owens, who called her "illiterate," and mocked her speaking. When a Twitter user said Cardi sounded "slow" when she interviewed Senator Bernie Sanders, she told the troll, "It was the only way YOU would of understand me."
In 2020, Cardi shared the live interview with Bernie Sanders on her Instagram with a powerful caption attached. "Listen I don't talk like a CNN correspondent and I don't use all this fancy vocabulary but I do give you THE REAL while entertaining you at the same time to keep your attention on what's important." She also shared that "almost a million people tuned in" for the interview and that her main goal was to raise awareness regarding current events. "I want to make sure all my followers are AWARE and make a CHANGE!" She wrote. "WE HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE A CHANGE!"
In a video responding to backlash for her 2020 Billboard Woman of the Year award, Cardi talked again about her devotion to informing her followers about politics beyond that year's presidential election. "I've been informing y'all about y'all's senators. I've been informing y'all about districts. Midterm elections. Using my own money to meet up with these candidates," she said (via Instagram). "Even when y'all's crying like, 'But she don't represent us!' Yes I do ... I represent America. I wanted a change, and that's exactly what the f*** I did."
Social media has taken a toll
Cardi B credits social media for the exposure she needed for her career to take off. "If it wasn't for me showing my personality on social media, I wouldn't be where I'm at," she told Billboard in her 2020 Woman of the Year interview. But she also recognized the turn online platforms have taken in recent years and that they can be dangerous sources of misinformation and hate. "People will say the nastiest things ... The comments weren't like this back in 2013."
In a 2021 interview with Billboard, Cardi revealed that controversy over her record-breaking hit, "WAP," featuring Megan Thee Stallion, contributed to her clash with users online and political figureheads in the media. She even described the iconic song as "the one that had Republicans crying on Fox News about it."
Following the release of "WAP," Cardi was not only subjected to online abuse but threats to her physical safety. "A Trump supporter posted my address and encouraged people to dox my home, to put my house on fire." She shared with Billboard. " I literally hired a private investigator, and serve them with a warrant and arrest this boy."
Though Cardi is taking a step back from sharing her political views online, she continues to empower others in the music industry and beyond. And she may have the last laugh in the "WAP" controversy; fans celebrated Biden's presidential victory by singing "WAP" outside the White House in 2020.