Cardi B may be a rapper, but her political power is nothing to sleep on. One of her latest Instagram Live broadcasts is a good reminder of that.
In a recent post, the Bronx native, born Belcalis Almánzar, called out President Joe Biden and New York City Mayor Eric Adams after it was announced that the city’s public schools, libraries, police departments and sanitation would be affected by sweeping budget cuts.
In the video, Cardi, who supported Biden in the last election, said she will not be endorsing a candidate for 2024. She argued that the U.S. economy is in bad shape and even more communities would be affected without federal help.
She specifically condemned Biden for prioritizing military spending related to Ukraine and Israel instead of addressing some of the issues happening in this country.
“Joe Biden is talking about, ‘Yeah, we can fund two wars,’” she said. “Motherfucker’s talking about, ‘We don’t got it, but we got it, we’re the greatest nation.’ No the fuck we’re not. We’re going through some shit right now. Like, say it. Say it. We really, really, really... are fucked right now.”
She also called bullshit on Adams’ claims that more migrants moving to the city is the reason for the budget cuts.
A lot of folks on the app formerly known as Twitter, however, discounted Cardi’s comments. Instead of focusing on the bigger picture, social media users tried to use the moment as a civics lesson. Some said that Biden has nothing to do with the cuts, despite Adams himself calling on federal assistance to prevent further reductions.
On this week’s episode of “I Know That’s Right,” I break down why this thinking is obtuse and why Cardi is saying exactly what needs to be said right now. Regardless of whether you like her, shitting on Cardi’s political viewpoints says more about you than whoever you believe has the range to discuss politics.
The fact of the matter is that many people believe rappers are ignorant and need to stay out of politics. But on “I Know That’s Right,” I talk about why the opposite is true and more:
If you want more interviews, pop culture rundowns and conversations too layered for a social media thread to tackle, subscribe to “I Know That’s Right.” With new episodes dropping each week, this show is sure to keep you entertained, informed and shouting “I know that’s right” every now and then.