It appeared rapper Cardi B deleted her Instagram Saturday after responding to criticism from rapper and singer Azealia Banks. On Friday, during an interview with Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club, Banks spoke about the state of female rap, bringing up Cardi B in the process and calling her “illiterate, untalented rat” and referring to her as a “caricature of a black woman.”
“It’s very concerning to me that this conversation surrounding black women changes from… I feel like two years ago, the conversation surrounding black women’s culture was really reaching an all-time high,” referring to the conversation sparked by Beyonce’s “Lemonade.” Banks continued “then everything just kind of changed and then it was like Cardi B.”
After being questioned by radio host Charlamagne Tha God about whether or not the conversation grew since “Lemonade,” Banks disagreed. “I’m just talking about this caricature of a black woman that black women themselves would never be able to get away with. Like, if my spelling and grammar was that bad, I’d be canceled. If Nicki Minaj spelled like that, we would be ragging on her all day,” Banks said.
Cardi B caught wind of Banks’ comments and responded via her Instagram account with a lengthy post saying “…I’ve never dismissed my heritage or my culture, I’ve never pretended to sound like anyone or look like anyone for attention…. You think you’re advocating for women but you’re doing the opposite.” She then deleted her Instagram.
This hasn’t been the first time both rappers came to blows online. In September 2016, Bank’s referred to Cardi B as the “poor man’s Nicki Minaj” on her Instagram. Cardi B retaliated by posting footage of Azealia Banks singing and dancing to “Bodak Yellow” in a club.
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