Cardi B Gets Political: ‘Being a Feminist Is Real Simple’
The ever-outspoken Cardi B is sounding off on politics.
In a new interview with Vice's i-D, the breakout rapper shared her take on feminism, Donald Trump, and the erasure of minority influence. She told the outlet that because her approach isn't always the most eloquent or inoffensive, people tend to dismiss her viewpoint, but her unprecedented rise is case-in-point that she's no less capable than any of her peers. Last September, her bombastic summer anthem, "Bodak Yellow," made Cardi the first female rapper to land an unassisted No. 1 hit since Lauryn Hill in 1998. And with a three-week reign, it also broke record as the longest-charting No. 1 hit by an unaccompanied female rapper.
"[Some people] think feminism is great and only a woman that can speak properly, that has a degree, who is a boss, a businessperson… they think only Michelle Obama can be a feminist. But being a feminist is real simple; it’s that a woman can do things the same as a man," Cardi explained. "Anything a man can do, I can do. I can finesse, I can hustle. We have the same freedom. I was top of the charts. I’m a woman and I did that. I do feel equal to a man.”
Similarly, she said there are people who try to minimize the success of minorities even when they're "[running] everything," pointing to hip-hop, fashion, and the Olympics. "The success of people like me scares people, that’s why they belittle us. If you’re a little scrawny man raised in a trailer in Alabama somewhere, of course you’re scared right now ... They’re scared of the intelligence of the minority," she continued. "We are a big influence and people want to take that s--- away. People like Donald Trump, they’re always going to make us feel like we’re less. But it’s okay, because a b---- like me knows the truth."
Of course, it's far from the first time Cardi has aired out her frustrations on current events. The Love & Hip-Hop alum built her brand on unfiltered commentary, and her Twitter page has become a hotbed for Trump takedowns. Earlier this month, she told TMZ she wouldn't perform at the Super Bowl halftime show until Colin Kaepernick was allowed back on the field.
Expect her debut album, due out later this year, to be just as subversive.
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