If you’re a female rapper who hopes to get a push from Cardi B simply because you’re part of the girls club, the “Up” artist has made it clear that you have another think coming.
The “I Like It” rapper is all here for women killing the game but doesn’t feel a responsibility to put women rappers on simply because they identify as the same gender or share the same sex because “nobody did it for me.” She will however show love if she sees true talent and respects the ladies who respect her.
“If I like you, I’m gonna endorse you. If I like your music, I’m gonna tell you that I like your music. I’m not in no catty s–t, but it’s like at the end of the day, it is what it is,” she told XXL during an interview. “Like, this could get a little bit catty. So, it’s like, I don’t want to feel like I have a responsibility to look out for the girls and cuddle the girls and this and that. I feel like nobody did it for me, so it’s like, I don’t have to do it for you.”
“However, if you show me love, I’m going to show you love, and I’m gonna show you respect,” she continued. “Like, if you compliment me, I’ma compliment you. If you show love to my projects, I’m gonna show love to your projects.”
The stripper-turned-reality-star-turned-superstar acknowledged that she does love spreading her breadth of knowledge around when needed and isn’t above offering advice. “If sometimes, I see that you’re getting dragged on social media, like, I will want to give you an advice like, ‘Girl, just don’t say nothing. Don’t worry about it. Sh-t’s gonna pass. Yo, you know what? Do this so people could stop saying that about you,’” she said. “I’m a person that likes to give advice, but I’m not gonna give advice to just anybody because they’re a female. Like, at the end of the day, I came from a female industry. I came from the strip club. And I’m from New York. The women are just crazy two-faced.”
It may sound harsh to some, but Cardi explained that her approach, which she applied to rap duo City Girls, comes from a place of wanting to help out how she can, while still protecting her energy. “I don’t have to look out for you just because you’re a woman. I’m going to respect you. As long as you show me respect,” she clarified. “And if you ever ask me for an advice, if you ever ask anything from me, I’m gonna give it to you. I’m gonna talk to you like a sister.”
“When I met the City Girls, I didn’t know them at all,” she explained. “I told them like, ‘Y’all gotta keep working. Y’all gotta keep doing this. Y’all gotta keep doing that.’ And that’s exactly what they did. And they big artists. They’re really popular. That’s just advice that I would tell any woman. However, I don’t feel like I gotta embrace everybody ’cause you might embrace a b—h, and then next thing you know, you find out the b—h don’t even f—ing like you.”
In addition to City Girls, Cardi has shown plenty of love to her “WAP” collaborator Megan Thee Stallion. Rumors of the two not getting along that began because they weren’t seen hanging out weren’t missed by Cardi. However, when the two were finally able to get together, “it went so smoothly.”
“You know, when Megan [Thee Stallion] came out, people for a whole year was like, ‘I never seen Cardi and Megan together. I know they don’t f- –ing like each other.’ I feel like people kept putting me against her and everything. I was like, ‘Damn. That sucks. Because I like her music. But I don’t know her’ … When I met her, you know, it was just dope, and it was a very natural, smooth [meeting]. We did a song, and it went so smoothly and it went so well. Even with this ‘WAP’ performance [for the Grammys], it went so smoothly. It went so well. And sometimes I get on social media, and I do good, and she randomly congratulates me. And, I will congratulate her as well. I’m gonna always show her love. Like, it’s just a super respect thing.”