Cardi B’s political views and why they’re important
Twerk singer has scaled new heights of fame after feuding with conservative commentators
Singer Cardi B has exchanged jibes with Daily Caller columnist Stephanie Hamill over her latest single, Twerk.
Hamill has criticised the video, claiming the visuals of scantily-clad women dancing were an affront to the #MeToo movement, Newshub reports.
The columnist tweeted: “In the era of #meToo how exactly does this empower women? Leftists, @iamcardib, feel free to chime in. THX.”
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Carli B responded: “It says to women that I can wear and not wear what ever I want. do w.e I want and that NO still means NO. So Stephanie chime in..If I twerk and be half naked does that mean I deserve to get raped and molested? I want to know what a conservative woman like you thinks.”
The feud comes just days after the singer traded barbs with Fox Nation host Tomi Lahren after the singer posted a video criticising the ongoing government shutdown in the US.
Cardi was quick to retort, saying: “Leave me alone I will dog walk you.”
Who is Cardi B?
Cardi B is an American rapper and TV personality who was born on 11 October 1992 in the Bronx. Cardi’s real name is Belcalis Almanzar but she later received the nickname Bacardi, which subsequently became Cardi B, her current stage name.
“I have real good parents, they [are] poor. They have regular, poor jobs and what not,” said the 26-year-old in an interview with Global Grind. “They [are] real good people and what not, I was just raised in a bad society.”
Time magazine reports that Cardi began working as a stripper at 19 after being fired from her previous job as a cashier. She later worked her way up to more lucrative spots in Manhattan.
While still working as a stripper, Cardi began “candidly discussing sex, men and making money” on her Instagram and Vine accounts, the site says. This earned her a significant number of followers.
After appearing on reality TV, Cardi signed a deal with Atlantic Records in 2016, releasing her first mixtape that year. As of this year, she has earned three number-one singles on the US Billboard Hot 100.
What are her political views?
Cardi’s latest foray into political debate is “on brand for her”, according to CNN. The singer often says that she loves political science and is “obsessed” with how the system works.
The Guardian adds that Cardi has also been outspoken on a number of political issues, including having “a clear stance on gun control, in favour of mental evaluations for gun purchasers” and believing the minimum age to own a gun should be “raised above 21”.
A tweet reading “Vote for Daddy Bernie, bitch” amounted to an official endorsement of Bernie Sanders in the presidential primaries in 2016.
“If there’s a Republican president the only people who benefit are the ‘rich rich’, corporation owners,” she said. Sanders responded tweeting: “Cardi B is right.”
Her political views are likely to have a significant impact owing to her 40.3 million-strong following on Instagram.
Within days of Cardi posting her recent video criticising the shutdown, it had racked up almost 17 million views. Her followers applauded her for using her platform to address political issues, according to CNN, while some Democratic lawmakers wondered publicly whether they should share it.
“Trying to decide whether or not to retweet the Cardi B video,” Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii tweeted.
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