Cardi B might not be the drama, however she’s definitely in some proper now.
The Bronx rapper dropped her sophomore album, “Am I the Drama?” on September 19, and whereas it’s been climbing the charts, the rollout has been overshadowed by an all-too-familiar scene—her long-running feud with Nicki Minaj.
On social media this week, the strain boiled over between the 32-year-old “Bodega Baddie” rapper and the 42-year-old “Barbie World” performer. Nicki fired photographs at Cardi’s daughter Kulture, allegedly calling her “ugly” amid different derogatory insults mocking her look, together with “monkey.” Cardi hit again by dragging Nicki’s son—nicknamed “Papa Bear”—into the feud, claiming he was “nonverbal,” insinuating his mom’s previous alleged drug use could have impacted him earlier than apologizing to him straight.
“Lord defend my infants,” Cardi wrote within the submit that shortly went viral.
Nicki additionally made digs at Cardi’s look whereas pregnant, posting an AI picture of her as Barney the purple dinosaur and dubbing her “Barney B.”
She even parodied Cardi’s lyrics in a sing-song taunt, “Abcdefgeeeeeeee / Fallin off the charts wit a giant bellyyyy / RUNNING TRAINS / Barefoot, nonetheless smellyyyyy / Nonetheless. You. May. Not. outsell. Meeeeee.”
This spherical of combating erupted after Nicki mocked Cardi’s album promotion, accusing her of inflating gross sales numbers by pricing it at $4.99. Cardi clapped again that Minaj ought to “examine your self to your friends,” naming artists like Drake and Rihanna as an alternative of fixating on her.
As Cardi identified, Nicki debuted within the late 2000s whereas she was nonetheless in highschool, making them from totally different rap eras altogether. Nicki has since accused Cardi of jealousy, whereas Cardi has doubled down by questioning Nicki’s endurance. Screenshots, memes, and messy fan accounts have saved the feud trending every day.
The feud, nonetheless, didn’t begin right here. It dates again to Cardi’s breakout in 2017, when followers observed she hardly ever credited Nicki for paving the way in which for girls in rap. Issues escalated with a swirl of subtweets, alleged business blocking, and icy interviews, culminating of their notorious 2018 brawl throughout New York Trend Week—the place Cardi allegedly hurled a shoe and left with a lump on her brow after safety stepped in. Since then, their rivalry has simmered in waves, surfacing at any time when one drops new music.
This time, although, followers aren’t laughing. Many have expressed disgust at each ladies for weaponizing youngsters of their combat, stating that, as moms, they need to know higher. Social media has been stuffed with pissed off commentary calling the feud “low” and “gross,” with some supporters begging them to lastly squash it.
And all of that is unfolding throughout what could be the most chaotic album rollout in current reminiscence. Within the weeks main as much as “Am I the Drama?”, Cardi confirmed her being pregnant in an interview with Gayle King, revealing she’s anticipating her first little one with NFL star Stefon Diggs.
The announcement got here as she was already going through public scrutiny over her separation and divorce from Offset, whom she shares three youngsters, together with her daughter Kulture. Add in messy podcast spats, viral courtroom memes, and now a renewed confrontation with Nicki Minaj, and the album cycle has change into a spectacle befitting its title.
Regardless of the turmoil, “Am I the Drama?” debuted at primary on the Billboard 200 with roughly 200,000 items bought in its first week. The album has already gone double platinum, making it one of many highest-certified feminine rap albums of the last decade.
