Somehow, Cardi B became one of the biggest hip-hop stars, and I'm here for it. Yeah, her songs aren't lyrical masterpieces, but they're catchy and fun and shut up. Also, on talk shows, she's hilarious, explaining what not to do in a strip club and the tricky reality of getting it on while pregnant. (Both very important issues.) No matter how much money she makes or how many glamorous gowns she wears, she's still a scrappy, outspoken girl from the Bronx, okurrr!
At Fashion Week, the Bodak Yellow rapper had a bad night. To make a long story short, Cardi B and Nicki Minaj have issues. Cardi saw Nicki and lashed out, but security guards prevented her from starting a 'street fight' with 'Chun-Li.' In desperation, Cardi hurled her shoe, but did not come close to harming the 'Queen.' When the kerfuffle ended (now, there's a word you don't hear enough in rap songs!), Cardi was escorted out of the event, barefoot, with a ripped dress and a big-ass bump on her forehead.
That photo was embarrassing, but now Cardi's reputation is taking a hit. This weekend, her official Facebook account reportedly posted a transphobic meme: an image of a cartoon character intensely looking out the window, with the caption, "I hope nobody see this tr*nny leaving my house," followed by some tears-of-joy emojis and a skull. In case you're out of the loop, the T-word is an offensive transphobic slur. Unless you’re talking about your car's transmission, it should not be in your vocabulary.
On Twitter, Cardi denied personally posting the photo, instead blaming a former member of her staff. "It's come to my attention that there have been offensive posts made on what used to be my Facebook page," wrote the rapper. "For the past year and a half a FORMER team member has been the only one with access to the account." In the replies, people appreciated the response, but criticized Cardi for not apologizing. Not everyone who saw that hurtful meme is aware of this backstory.
Also, is the backstory even true? In a video that resurfaced in 2017, Cardi used the same transphobic slur. She said if a man cheated on her, she would take him out, "get drunk," "bring a bitch around" and have a threesome. Then, the next day, she would reveal that the "bitch was a tr*nny." In other words, the cisgender woman was actually a transgender woman. In other words, the “joke” is punching down on a vulnerable subset of people, while perpetuating the ignorant myth that transgender people try to trick cisgender people into sex, as well as the hateful belief that having a romantic relationship with a transgender person would be disgusting and shameful. Hilarious!
In response, Cardi said in a Periscope video that "she did not know that that was a bad word ‘cause trans people use it." It's hard to believe that transgender people use a transphobic slur, but, assuming that's true, it doesn't give cisgender people to pass to use the T-word, in the same way white people don't get a pass to use the N-word, just because some black people use it.
But hey, these terms are new and nebulous to a lot of people, and we all make mistakes. Hopefully you can regain control of your Facebook page, Cardi B. If you can't remember the password, try "Okurrr!"
