Cardi B says backlash discouraged her from voicing political views
The 29-year-old rapper revealed she was “bullied” by conservatives and even shunned by those whose political opinions she advocated for
Rapper Cardi B is one of many celebrities in today’s social media climate who has used their wide-reaching digital platform to join national political discourse, opening them up to support and backlash from the left, right and everywhere in between.
Whether she was tweeting Bernie Sanders endorsements, chatting with the Vermont senator on Instagram Live, or telling her followers she wanted to pursue a career in politics herself, Cardi B was never shy about her interest in the field — that is, until the backlash became too much to bear.
While the Bronx, New York rapper isn’t typically known for holding back what’s on her mind, she recently revealed to a fan on Twitter that she was turned off to political advocacy after experiencing “bullying” at the hands of conservative critics as well as the political groups she supported.
“I was tired of getting bullied by the republicans and also getting bashed by the same people I was standing up for,” Cardi, 29, wrote in response to a fan who asked why she no longer engages in political discussions online.
The “WAP” rapper also clapped back at a troll who said Cardi was “ruining” political conversations by sounding “slow,” replying that speaking slowly was the “only way” the troll would’ve been able to understand her.
Cardi B, real name Belcalis Almanzar, previously defended her choice to speak about political matters without conforming her vernacular to outside standards of acceptability in a 2020 Instagram post:
“Listen I don’t talk like a CNN correspondent and I don’t use all this fancy vocabulary but I do give you THE REAL while entertaining you at the same time to keep your attention on what’s important,” she wrote.
“I have a platform of 62.7 million followers and yesterday my live had 133K viewers and almost a million people tuned in,” Cardi continued. “I just want to bring awareness to what’s going on in our country and around the world. I want to make sure all my followers are AWARE and make a CHANGE! WE HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE A CHANGE!”
Even while interviewing now-President Joe Biden, the Grammy-winning musician didn’t restrain her bubbly and energetic personality and it didn’t stop her from communicating strong messages of advocacy against issues like police brutality.
“I want Black people to stop getting killed and no justice for it,” Cardi told Biden in a 2020 sit-down interview.
“I’m tired of it. I’m sick of it. I just want laws that are fair to Black citizens and that are fair for cops, too,” she continued. “If you kill somebody who doesn’t have a weapon on them, you go to jail. You know what? If I kill somebody, I’ve got to go to jail. You gotta go to jail, too. That’s what I want.”
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