Cardi B Defends Her Success, Addresses Light-Skin Privilege: ‘Colorism Is Real’
Billboard ·
"My skin tone is not solely the reason for my success,” the rapper wrote in response to podcaster Damona “Mona” Love.
Cardi B is speaking out about colorism while defending her rise to fame.
On Monday (Nov. 2), the 34-year-old Bronx rapper took to X to share a lengthy statement addressing Damona “Mona” Love of Don’t Call Me White Girl , who recently referenced a brief clip from a 2024 Instagram Live in which Cardi discussed her heritage, colorism and public perception with influencer Raymonte Cole.
“I know that colorism is real I never denied that I seen it for myself,” Cardi B wrote . “But what Im always going to stand up for is that my skin tone is not solely the reason for my success.”
The “Bodak Yellow” rapper also reflected on the challenges she faced early in her career, writing, “Maybe some of ya missed a chapter but let me tell ya a little bit about my come up… and I have the right to talk about it because it was my experience. When i was coming up people saw my skin last. They saw my teeth first.. the acne on my forehead.. my dusty braids and they called me a dirty stripper.”
Cardi’s response comes after Love suggested that the rapper’s lighter complexion and Dominican heritage have given her an advantage in the entertainment industry, particularly when it comes to securing brand deals.
“The reason why dark-skinned girls don’t get the same brand deals is because she’s light-skinned and she’s Dominican,” Love said in a recent video . “I don’t care if she considers herself a n— or not. You’re still Dominican, which is some type of fancy on it in this country.”
The podcaster continued, “I don’t give a f— if it was a match of Cardi B and the b— was equally as talented but she was dark-skinned, there’s no way that person would make it as far as Cardi B.”
Love later elaborated on her comments during an Oct. 31 episode of The Joe Budden Podcast . She explained that her remarks were prompted by an unspecified video in which Cardi discussed a topic Love believed “she was so wrong” about.
According to Love, Cardi argued in the clip that colorism had little to do with her success, attributing her opportunities instead to hard work, marketing skills and her ability to present herself in professional settings. Love also referenced Cardi’s remarks about others being less familiar with how to navigate those spaces.
“Cardi is very talented … but part of the reasons why she’s there is because she’s light,” Love told Budden. “To add a little more on it, the fact that she’s Dominican, Puerto Rican, mixed … my experience in this country is, if you’re not white — if you got some kind of foreign on you, that’s even more “special.”
In her X statement, Cardi pushed back on the idea that her complexion automatically made her a desirable artist. She said she wasn’t the “traditional beauty standard” record labels were looking for and that her “skin tone wasnt enough to convince anyone I was a star.”
“Everybody said no!!” the rapper wrote. They said it wasn’t gonna happen for me because i wasn’t the kinda woman people wanted to see. I had to work my a— off to get where I am.”
Cardi’s breakthrough came with the 2017 hit “Bodak Yellow,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her debut album, Invasion of Privacy , also debuted atop the Billboard 200 and won the Grammy for best pap album. She has since earned four additional Hot 100 No. 1 hits, including “I Like It,” “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion, and “Up.”
“I had to prove and I still gotta prove over and over again that im more than the way i speak,” Cardi continued. “More than the way i look.. and more than the color of my skin. This is the exact reason why I was defending myself then and im defending myself now.”
Cardi also pointed out that Love had previously reached out to her for advice on personal matters, surgery and career opportunities. She questioned why Love chose to publicly revisit the 2024 livestream rather than contact her directly for clarification.
“We have talked about so many different things and out of all the things we talked about why you couldnt ask me about a 13 second clip you saw from a 15 minute live in 2024 where i addressed everything that you bringing up?” Cardi wrote. “You went out your way to make a video with no context when this wasnt even a topic on no blogs and no platforms.”
She went on to accuse Love of using the colorism discussion to deflect attention from criticism she was receiving over her comments about Tia Kemp, a social media personality who has recently ventured into stand-up comedy.
“A topic I havent talked about in years that you randomly brought up,” the rapper wrote. “And now im getting dragged for it. You used me as shield because you was under fire for the backlash you was getting for talking about Tia Kemp another Black woman all because she was selling more tickets than you!”
Cardi wrote in conclusion, “But what you was really doin was taking my success away and saying its all because of my skin tone. Whats that if its not colorism? I will never not acknowledge the prejudice in our system… we can acknowledge that reality without diminishing my accomplishments or my experience.”