This week I was pleasantly surprised to see that acclaimed, award-winning rapper, Cardi B was invited to speak at any Democratic reception in Iowa that she chose. Cardi B. is a popular figure on social media and known for her antics on Love and Hip Hop, however, her star skyrocketed, and she rose to global dominance after the release of her 2017 runaway hit Bodak Yellow. There was nowhere that you could go in the world in 2017 that you did not hear, “These expensive, these are red bottoms, these are bloody shoes.”
In an industry that is heavily male-dominated, with labels crafting who they wanted to be the next “It Girl,” Cardi’s B carefree, no holds barred, style took the world by storm. Gone were the days of industry curated and crafted interviews. Cardi B took to social media to air her grievances, share her story, discuss her sex life, and offer a multitude of clapbacks that had us begging for more. Who else could dog walk Tomi Lahren around the world?
Cardi B is the definition of living your brand.
Cardi B makes NO apologies for who she is. And that is something that I respect about her. Let me be honest as someone that has dealt with EXPENSIVE, OVERPRICED dental procedures, when I heard Cardi B say, “Got a bag and fixed my teeth, hope you hoes know it ain’t cheap,” I could have cried. BITCH IT TAKES A BAG!!! A WHOLE BAG!! This is coming from someone that had to work OVERTIME saving EVERY SINGLE DIME to get $9000 to have a dental procedure. I FEEL YOU CARDI!!!! I felt that in MY SOUL’S SOUL!
Cardi B speaks to the realness of being an average, working, day to day American just trying to get by. She is someone that went from being an exotic dancer to wearing haute couture gowns, and she isn’t afraid to speak her truth as she did in her hit song, Best Life.
I said I never had a problem showin’ y’all the real me
Hair when it’s fucked up, crib when it’s filthy
Way-before-the-deal me, strip-to-pay-the-bills me
‘Fore I fixed my teeth, man, those comments used to kill me
But never did I change, never been ashamed
Never did I switch, story stayed the same
I did this on my own, I made this a lane
Y’all gotta bear with me, I been through some things
Went from small-ass apartments to walkin’ red carpets
Pissy elevators, now every dress is tailored
This some real-life fairy tale Binderella shit
I got further than them hoes said I will ever get
She went from “pissy elevators now every dress is tailored!” She went from someone that collected dollars bills on a strip floor to MAKING MONEY MOVES! And let me be CLEAR, I don’t say ANY of that to mock who Cardi B is, it is just showing you that out of the ashes a phoenix can rise! Let me also add, many people want to discount Cardi B because she was an exotic dancer but have NO PROBLEM supporting, voting for and placing a man in the highest office in the land that utilized the services of women in the sex industry. You cannot be against one yet overlook the other. Make it make sense!
Another thing, Cardi B has been CLEAR on is her stance on politics. Recently Cardi B went on social media to address the government shutdown and said, “Hey y’all, I just wanted to remind you because it’s been a little over three weeks, OK. Trump is now ordering, as in summoning, federal government workers to go back to work without getting paid. Now, I don’t wanna hear y’all motherfuckers talking about, ‘Oh, but Obama shutdown the government for 17 days. Yeah, bitch – for healthcare. So, your grandma could check her blood pressure, and you bitches could go check your pussies at the gynecologist with no motherfucking problem.”
SHE IS SPOT ON!!! Does she say it the way YOU deem “appropriate?” NO! BUT SHE IS DEAD RIGHT! Don’t you want your grandmother to be able to go to the doctor and get her blood pressure checked? Don’t you want women to be able to go to the gynecologist with no issues and get screened for any problems? WE ARE SAYING THE SAME THING!!! SHE JUST SAID IT AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENTLY WAY but a way that REACHED MASSES!
Cardi B is SPOT ON when she offers her political commentary to her millions of followers. HER MESSAGE IS NO DIFFERENT THAN ANOTHER DEMOCRAT’S MESSAGE! However, Cardi B is going to say it HER WAY! And some of y’all find that unacceptable. And that is the problem for White and Bougie Black America. (To my Bougie Black people y’all know good and well you were eating ramen with cheese slices growing up so stop the games. Don’t ever forget.) Too many people ignore and miss the message because they want to mock the messenger. You would be A FOOL to deny a woman that speaks the truth and has a remarkable following from sharing her message. IF CARDI B IS FOR YOU, SHE IS NOT AGAINST YOU! The way I say something may be different than how Cardi B says something and TRUST, the way we both say something is going to be different than how Former President, Barack Obama says something, BUT OUR MESSAGE IS THE SAME!
STOP SILENCING BLACK PEOPLE AND PEOPLE OF COLOR FOR SPEAKING THE TRUTH OUR WAY!!! This is bigger than Cardi B. This is about Black People and People of Color being able to speak OUR TRUTH OUR WAY! This is about Black people and People of Color having and using OUR VOICES! And that doesn’t need your permission! If you are smart you will recognize that.
Just step back, hand us the mic, and watch the magic happen!
Categories: Current Events, Politics, Race Relations, Thoughts, Musings and Reflections
Speak it!
I had to come to a reckoning. I can no longer shame women of color for the choices they have to make to survive. I just do not traffic in respectability politics of any kind. I don’t believe in it, and I think it holds us back. As I’ve gotten older, I’m not at all interested in uplifting my sense of self, at the the expense of my sistahs. I’m through with that. I have always admired women who were unquestionably and unapologetically who they were, Grace Jones, Aretha, etc. and I admire the hell outta all these young sisters, Beyoncé, Nicky, Rihanna, and Cardi, all of them different, all of them speaking their truths.
I don’t speak like Cardi either, but I understand every word. People may not like the way she says something but they understood her, didn’t they?
I love her. I love Nick too. I want them to be great. Cardi style game is on point and her political involvement is unheardof for women in the rap game. She’s great. Good article. I agree with u. We can all learn a little something from Cardi’s upfront attitude about life!