The 'WAP' hitmaker hits out at pay disparities between white stars and those of color in endorsement deals, admitting she felt 'prejudice' because of the pay gap.
- Feb 25, 2021
AceShowbiz - Cardi B has slammed the "insulting" pay disparity in the music industry, admitting she has "felt prejudice" when she's been paid less than her white peers.
The "WAP" star opened up to Mariah Carey in a chat for Interview magazine, during which she reflected on the different salaries for white musicians and those of colour.
"I don't know if I would use the word 'racism' because everything is so technical right now. I have felt prejudice," she explained. "I have been involved in endorsement deals, and then I found out that certain white people got more money for their deals from the same company. I do my research. I know how much money I made (from) that company. My fans buy my s**t. So it's like, 'When you're not paying me what you're paying these other people, why is that?' It's kind of insulting."
Mariah agreed with what Cardi said, but added that it's been slightly different for her in her career, explaining. "I have it a different way because people don't know how to categorise me sometimes, and that sucks," she said. "But I think people should listen to the words you say because you're saying it from firsthand experience. You've gotten less than other artists who are not artists of colour, and yet your influence has been way broader. So let's fix that."
Elsewhere in the interview, Cardi opened up about the amount of pressure she feels not to fail, admitting she'll be "really sad" if her next release doesn't do as well as her critically-acclaimed 2018 debut studio album, "Invasion of Privacy".
"People always have crazy expectations, especially when it comes to female rap," she sighed. "It's not like it's a competition, but people are always comparing and comparing and comparing. It's almost like they want to see you fail. I hate the feeling when I don't do something really good. So I want my s**t to be good because my last album did so well, and if this one doesn't do well, I'm going to feel really sad."
The "Be Careful" rapper also revealed her team are "rushing" her to release the LP, but she's unsure if it's "the right time."
