Cardi B has pushed back against claims that she was positioned to replace fellow rapper Nicki Minaj – responding to past accusations from Kanye West that labelled her an “industry plant.”
In a recent interview, the Bronx-born star reflected on the narratives that have followed her since her breakout success.
She told Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast: “People have made this whole story that I came in the industry to like take over somebody’s career.
“But it’s like, I never thought that. I just wanted to become famous at what I like to do … Sometimes people just don’t get along with each other.”
Though she didn’t name Nicki directly, Cardi’s comments come amid years of speculation about tension between the two artists.
Adding fuel to the fire, Kanye previously claimed in a leaked conversation in 2018 that Cardi was an “industry plant”— suggesting she was strategically placed in hip-hop by corporate forces.
He reportedly said: “She literally replaced Nicki Minaj. Purposely, they put her there. And now, she doesn’t know what to do.”
Cardi has never publicly responded to the remark until now, but her latest comments appear to reject that narrative entirely.
She said: “This is what I was destined for.
“I was meant to become this, no matter who signed me, no matter what. I was going to be famous and I was going to be a rapper.”
Since her debut single Bodak Yellow topped the charts in 2017, Cardi has become one of the most influential voices in modern rap. Her debut album Invasion of Privacy earned a Grammy Award and broke streaming records, while her outspoken personality and fashion-forward image have made her a cultural icon.
Interestingly, following the release of Cardi’s long-awaited second studio album, Am I The Drama? on September 19, Nick teased a release date, seemingly for her next album.
She simply posted on X on September 24: ” “3.27.26 [CD emoji]”
The pair’s feud is said to have began over their 2017 collaboration with Migos, MotorSport, with Nicki claiming her verse was altered.
Meanwhile, at a Harper’s Bazaar party during New York Fashion Week in 2018, Cardi reportedly threw a shoe at Nicki.