Cardi B Says Female Artists Face ‘Mad Pressure’ To Put Out New Music
Since she blew up with her commercial debut single “Bodak Yellow,” Cardi B has become one of the most successful female rappers in hip hop today. The Bronx-born rap star further cemented her place at the top after winning her first Grammy Award and making history as the first solo woman to win Best Rap Album. Her streak of success has only continued as “WAP,” her record-breaking collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion continues to dominate the charts.
But, despite these milestones, Cardi candidly confessed that she feels pressure to churn out even more hits. The 27-year-old told SiriusXM that she took a one-year break from releasing music because she felt like she was putting out “too much.”
“Throughout this whole time people were making rumors like, ‘Oh she’s having problems with her label. Her label is shelving her. Her label is tired of her and they’re getting more female talent,'" she explained. “It’s like, no, they never tired of me. Labels, they want you to put music out. That’s what they love. They want you to put music out all the time, all the time.” She noted that she feels as though female rappers face double standards and pressure to deliver a “super crazy smash hit” unlike their male contemporaries.
“Female rappers, they are always in mad pressure,” she explained. "If you don’t have a super crazy smash, it’s like ‘oh, you flop.’ The song could be like two-times platinum and it’s still flop, flop, flop.”
She continued, “‘There’s male artists who go two years without putting a f***ing song out and they don’t go, ‘Oh, you’re irrelevant. It’s over for you.’ Me, I didn’t put out songs for nine months and it’s like, ‘Oh, she’s irrelevant. She’s over. She’s a flop. We told you that.’ And I’m like ‘Yo! That type of s**t started to get to me,” she said.
In spite of the criticism, Cardi maintained that she isn’t going to pressure herself into releasing music when she isn’t ready, saying, “I’m not gonna let that s**t get to me to the point I’m going to put out a song that I’m not really in love with."
Listen to full interview below:
