Cardi B: THE NEW FEMINIST ICON???
Bronx native, Cardi B. is striking while the iron is hot. Standing tall with 2.9 million followers, she has used her humorous “straight talk” to become an Instagram sensation. Her growth within the past year has been phenomenal, to say the least. Notably, she strutted down the cat walk in the Fall of 2015 during New York Fashion Week for genderless design company Gypsy Sport. She then transitioned her popularity to becoming the break out star of “Love and Hip Hop” season 6. Currently, Cardi B. has released her mixtape “Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1” which is now available for download.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/gangsta-bitch-music-vol.-1/id1090779765
She is making a name for herself and she’s doing it her way. I have to admit, at first, I was not a fan. It was difficult to distinguish between her and other no talent temptresses promoted in the past. That was until I came across her song “Foreva”, being lip-synched by one of her Instagram followers. When I discovered that Cardi B. was the artist, I was an instant fan. As I gawked through weeks upon weeks of her Instagram feed I did not see the person I thought I was going to see, on the contrary it revealed a hilarious, crass, unapologetic hustler. I can respect that. Her unpolished sound caught my ear and her “Bronx” vernacular kept me tuned in.
Cardi B. has a dynamic image. She has become an unlikely feminist icon due to her vulnerable tracks about domestic violence, self-acceptance, and her notable dispute with Peter Gunz on the “Love And Hip Hop’s” reunion show. She is not shy about confessing that violence drove her to quit college and become a stripper. To her and so many other women, earning fast money can serve as the only way out from a domestic violence situation. Obviously, she is making good old Trap music as well. She appeals to an audience who can understand the struggle, hustle, and the journey to success from unlikely unfortunate places. Always the underdog, and knowingly underestimated, Cardi B. came up like a rocket. Who doesn’t love rooting for the “little guy”? Well, in this case a “little girl”. Especially one who claps back at hypocritical adulterers and womanizers. Yaassss!!!
Written by: April Fusilier