First of all, let’s not get it twisted. No one can knock Cardi B’s hustle — no one. From struggling Bronx stripper to Grammy Award-nominated artist, her journey to the top has been nothing short of amazing (if not miraculous). In fact, HipHopDX just anointed her with the award for 2017’s Best Come Up Of the Year. But here’s where she runs into trouble — social media.
After the “Bodak Yellow” rapper posted a video of what appeared to be her and fiancé Offset having sex on Tuesday (December 26), Twitter erupted with colorful opinions on her questionable decision, demanding she get media training — stat. Even after Cardi debunked the video and insisted they weren’t “fuckin” on Instagram Live, Twitter was still bothered by her brash choice to even share it in the first place.
That’s all good if you want to assert your sexual independence as a woman but when you go on record saying you want to be a “better role model” and then pull a salacious stunt like that, you’re sending the wrong message to the pre-teen/teen audience that likely makes up the majority of your fanbase. People were quick to point out the discrepancy.
The day after Halloween, the Love & Hip Hop alum evidently had an “a-ha! moment” when she realized countless young girls were emulating her style of dress for their costumes.
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“You know what, y’all, I realized after Halloween that a lot of little girls they be looking up to me and they love me and whatever,” Cardi said in an Instagram video. “It’s just like, I’m thinking to myself like, ‘Yo I really need to be a better example’ but I be trying to be a better example though. I be trying to be like more PG-13, less Rated R.
“But I be hanging out with my hood rat friends and then they fuck me up all over again,” she added. “Like they just mess me up all over again. I’m going to change for you little girls because I dead ass love y’all.”
For a minute, Cardi’s pledge seemed genuine. She appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon! earlier this month looking extremely elegant and the month before, stepped onto the 2017 BET Soul Train Awards’ red carpet looking like a lady.
But PG-13 came and went, and Cardi seemed to skip straight to XXX (minus the ‘tentacion) with her recent antics. And this behavior has become a pattern. Over the past few months, Cardi has spread her personal business all over the internet — from fights with Offset to accusing people of stealing her stuff to, well, online sex — nothing seems off limits when it comes to her social media accounts.
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To complicate the issue even further, on Wednesday (December 27), an attorney for Ms. Bartier Cardi told TMZ she was seeking legal action against hackers who allegedly leaked nude videos of her online.
Wait, what?
So, let’s get this straight. She’s mad that naked videos of herself — ones she obviously participated in making — were made public but is totally fine with emulating (or perhaps really having) doggystyle sex for her 14.8 million Instagram followers? Or appearing in G-Eazy’s sexually explicit “No Limit” video that finds her naked laying on a pile of money?
Fans have started to point out that she’s beginning to draw attention for all the wrong reasons. Initially, she was gracing headlines for the success of “Bodak Yellow” and making history as the first female rapper in 19 years to hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart without any assistance. Now, it’s for the type of stuff that’s suited for an episode of Love & Hip Hop, the drama-fueled show she left.
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Much like Azealia Banks, who consistently gets dragged through the mud for her outrageous behavior (and refers to Cardi as a “poor man’s Nicki Minaj”), the future Mrs. Offset is running the risk of soon becoming just another flash in the pan. Instead of focusing on the music and art she’s trying to create, people will momentarily get sucked into the controversy before writing her off completely.
The next few months are crucial for Cardi. If her debut album isn’t mind-blowing (and who are we kidding? It probably won’t be), some will likely chalk her up to another one-hit wonder who had an opportunity but blew it because she was too wrapped up in the bullshit to seize the moment.
It’s up to her.
