Cardi B fires back at fans demanding new music

By Tolulope Oke

American rapper Cardi B has hit back at fans pressuring her to release new music, warning that their complaints only make her less interested in returning to the studio.

The 33-year-old Grammy winner addressed the criticism during an X Spaces conversation on 11 August.

Some fans had questioned her release schedule and why certain songs received music videos and heavy promotion while others did not.

Cardi said the constant complaints were having the opposite of their intended effect.

“When y’all complain, y’all don’t make me want to sit down and be like, ‘Maybe I need to start doing more,’” she said.

“And I ain’t doing s*** now. How about that? That’s the type of person I am.”

The “Bodak Yellow” hitmaker said she had deliberately decided to stay away from the studio and take the summer off after working intensely earlier in the year.

“I told myself I’d take the summer off. I’m going to live my best life. I’m all the way outside,” she added.

Cardi said she would rather spend time with her children and concentrate on enjoying her life than allow criticism to dictate her creative schedule.

The mother of four also referred to a recent breakup and her demanding workload, insisting she had earned the right to rest and focus on her businesses.

However, the rapper suggested she could still release music spontaneously if fans responded positively to snippets shared online.

“I’m gonna feed the streets,” she said.

“I’m gonna put out a snippet. If people like it, I’ll put it out. If people don’t like it, I simply don’t put it out.”

A day after the online conversation, Cardi attended Old Navy’s “Denim Dive” launch party celebrating the fashion retailer’s Fall 2026 collection.

She appeared in a colourful outfit featuring two contrasting cardigans, cropped trousers and an emerald-green Chanel handbag.

Cardi leads Old Navy’s “Most Wanted Denim” campaign alongside models and digital creators Paloma Elsesser, Brooks Nader, Haley Baylee, Wisdom Kaye and Quenlin Blackwell.

The rapper described her partnership with the retailer as a full-circle moment, recalling that she wore Old Navy clothes while growing up.