Following the drop of the much buzzed-about “WAP” visual (watch it here), Bronx-born rapper Cardi B connected with talk show host Nadeska Alexis to chat about the video, her career and navigating the music world as a woman.
Cardi (real name Belcalis Almánzar) and Nadesk were joined by rappers Mulatto, Rubi Rose and Sukihana, all of whom had cameos in the visual.
While Cardi and Nicki Minaj‘s (real name Onika Miraj) frosty relationship is well established, Cardi appeared to describe Minaj in a way that could at least be described as neutral, an tone perhaps indicating she’s ready to leave the beef behind as she transitions out of the Invasion of Privacy era and preps for her sophomore album.
When ask about the landscape for female rappers in the past, Cardi didn’t state Minaj’s name, but referenced her when she said, “Then there was one female rapper who dominated for a very long time and she did pretty good and she’s still dominating. Now it’s like more.”
Spanish singer Rosalía [Tobella] wasn’t able to join the live version of the exchange, but she included a question for Cardi asking her what career advice she would give her younger self.
Alluding to ongoing financial battles with her original manager, Klenord “Shaft” Raphael, Cardi emphasized having an excellent lawyer. “It doesn’t matter how expensive, if you gotta spend 30, 40, some crazy bands, you gotta spend it. Don’t go with a lawyer…you know what I’m saying, invest in a lawyer to do your contracts because that’s the most important sh*t ever.”
Check out the exchange below.