Despite being the first female rapper to land the ultimate symbol of being an icon (even if she had to share that glory with, strangely, Steve Carrell and Lil’ Jon)–being in a Pepsi commercial for the Super Bowl–Cardi B is not quite the empowered, independent woman elucidated in songs like “Bodak Yellow” and “Money.” At least not after confirmation that she’s taken back her philandering husband, Offset. You know, the very man who invoked her jealousy to the point of being charged with misdemeanor assault at a strip club she and her entourage infiltrated to send a message to a pair of sisters she felt were coming a little too close to her “significant other.”
But hey, like Amy Winehouse before her, she seems to fail to see that someone bringing out the worst in you is not the mark of true and intense love. Plus, as she’s very publicly stated, à la Ariana Grande with Pete Davidson, there’s only one real reason that Offset has been so alluring to his numerous “groupies”–that reason, of course, being the only appendage of value to a (rich) woman on a man. Nonetheless, after so many songs written both about their robust sex life (“Cardi put the pussy on Offset,” etc.), and Cardi’s threats of death over his cheating (see: “Be Careful“), it would seem the power of the D wins again to disempower a woman.
Although Cardi seemed strong at first, rolling her eyes at Offset’s “grand gesture” of showing up to her Rolling Loud festival performance back in mid-December, just weeks after the two had separated, it appears that, in the end, the creepy John Cusack holding up the boombox move never fails. Is still a heteronormative woman’s ultimate kryptonite. Offset’s plea for forgiveness (though Cardi has clearly given it to him many times before, which is precisely why he has been conditioned to know that he will always get it) was even more bombastic than Lloyd Dobler’s–and somewhat more inconsiderate and disturbing. Purchasing two thousand long stem roses to spell out “TAKE ME BACK CARDI,” Offset interrupted her performance (which can easily fuck with an already anxiety-ridden mind in that sort of context) to drone, “I just want to tell you I’m sorry, bruh. In person. In front of the world.”
This alone should have been enough to forever put Cardi off Offset. But lo and behold, the myth of the empowered woman is just that. And what discredits the essentially false notion of an “independent woman” is Cardi’s “the lady doth protest too much” declarations about it being over. Because, as anyone with obsession problems knows, talking about it means you’re not over it. While, of course, there are those who will say there’s a child to think about, the only thing worse than separating is staying together for the kid. And Kulture is already going to have a hard enough time just living up to her name as it is.
Regardless of whether or not this little reconciliation sticks (which, of course, it won’t because, as everyone except Madonna has proven, people don’t change), it doesn’t alter the fact that Cardi’s raps projecting an autonomous and self-sufficient persona have been irrevocably compromised by this (non money) move. Even so, it doesn’t quite compare to Nicki Minaj dating a sex offender and murderer. So hey, at least that’s still a point for Cardi in terms of feud victories. And yeah, even “ultimate feminist” Beyoncé took back Jay-Z for the sake of, at the very least, creating Lemonade. Will Cardi accordingly do a similar album concept considering her already established penchant for stealing from Bey’s bag of tricks?
