Cardi B is clapping back at a critic who claimed her rap career is nothing more than “a quick hustle, not an art form.”
The comment came from an X user on Monday (Sept. 22), who accused the rapper of lacking “passion or love for hip-hop” and only treating it as a money grab.
They went on to say, “The truth is, she has zero real talent and can’t rap. A lot of these young female rappers saw how someone untalented like Cardi could rise, and they thought, ‘If she can do it, so can I.’ That’s why the game feels watered down now. Too many of them don’t rap with soul, heart, or lyrical depth. It’s not about skill, storytelling, or pushing the culture forward anymore — it’s just clout chasing and copying a formula.”
Cardi fired back in a since-deleted tweet, defending both her artistry and her grind.
“It’s funny to say this cause …when I drop a album I get a multi million advance ,l charge around 1.5 to 2.5 million a show …so if I treat it as a hustle I would drop about ten songs a year call it a album get my advance ,festivals and tour and do about 50 million just of MUSIC ALONE in a year! THAT WOULD BE SO EASY!
“I took my time with this album ..there’s fun …yet pain ,anger and just music that I LIKE not a&rs not labels what I LIKE ! I love good clothes, good food, good visuals so my music that I feed gotta be good too.”
Her response comes shortly after the release of her new album Am I the Drama?, which arrived seven years after her Grammy-winning debut Invasion of Privacy.
The long-awaited project also finds Cardi taking shots at fellow rappers, dissing JT on “Magnet” and Bia on “Pretty and Petty.”
When Joe Budden suggested on his podcast that she didn’t write the fiery bars herself, Cardi clapped back on X: “Whoever wrote it?? Nah that’s CARDI.. this is my process… I’m a natural roaster and you already know im quick with the mouth so I’ll be coming up with lines and l’ll record myself then lay it later.. Don’t give me backhanded 10’s cuz l’ll always be able to prove my shit.”
Just days before dropping her album, Cardi made waves again when she revealed during an interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings that she’s expecting her fourth child — her first with boyfriend Stefon Diggs.
Pregnancy isn’t slowing her down, though. On the Joe & Jada podcast with Fat Joe and Jadakiss, Cardi shared that she’s already gearing up for her Little Miss Drama Tour, which kicks off in February 2026 with arena shows across major cities.
“Next week, that’s when I finish the whole album run. Album run was doing magazine covers, doing interviews, doing music videos, doing all of that. That’s done,” she explained. “Now I’m going to the gym, I’m taking dance classes so my body could be nice and loose. When I give birth, now it’s straight [to] rehearsal. Straight rehearsal with the dancers. Then in February, I’m ready to fucking bust a move. My thing [is], ‘ain’t no stopping.’”
