Cardi B loves to talk. We know this, because there’s always been much more to Cardi B than just music. And though some mainstream stars stay politically neutral to avoid offending their fans, the “Tomorrow 2” rapper, 30, hasn’t shied away from being an audacious commentator. Whether in social media clips or talk show appearances, Cardi has preserved her ability to engage with political and social spheres.
“I don’t really put a lot of political things in my music, but I use the f*** out of my platform,” the artist told David Letterman last May.
While Cardi’s music may not be politically-driven—though her 2021 single “WAP” became the center of controversy by conservative pundits—she’s invested in discussing any topic she chooses. In a 2018 GQ profile, the Bronx native voiced her “love” of political science, rattling off U.S. presidents including 32nd President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who signed the Social Security Bill into law in 1935. Cardi’s comment on FDR was praised by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders; she then interviewed the former presidential candidate at a Detroit nail salon the following year. Cardi would go on to conduct a follow-up interview with Sanders on Instagram Live, both in support of future President Joe Biden. She later publicized Biden during a candid Zoom sit-down via ELLE in 2020, where the two discussed healthcare, racial equality and more.
It’s noteworthy that Cardi, a Grammy-winning artist, occasional actress and influential maven uses her stature to enlighten followers on broad topics, in a rudimentary manner that can be universally understood.
“Cardi B willingness to partake in conversations concerning politics, the economy, and policies that impact the people she makes music for is empowering and much needed,” says Dr. Jamein P. Cunningham, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics at Cornell University. “Hip-hop has gone through various phases of political engagement and to have someone of Cardi B’s prominence, willingly and unprovoked, talk politics says a lot about her as an artist but also as someone who advocates for people of color. I don’t think she has to have everything right or even be politically correct – the goal is to get a conversation started.”
Here’s a running timeline of Cardi B’s recent use of her platform to make us all a little smarter. What she had to say on: