Cardi B Defends the GRAMMYS, Calls Out Artists’ Secret Pursuit of Awards While Bashing Them

Cardi B called out musicians who criticize the GRAMMY Awards while secretly seeking nominations. She spoke with Billboard as she prepares to release her second album, Am I The Drama, in two weeks.

"Everybody always wants to downplay it, but everybody wants one," said Cardi B to Billboard's Carl Lamarre. "Every year, people want to downplay the GRAMMYS, but every year they submit their music. So it's like, aight, what's what?"

The "Kodak yellow" rapper also pointed out how artists can get nominated even without making it to the Billboard Hot 100. "A lot of people will downplay it like, 'Oh, it's a label thing,' but it's art," she stated. The awards show picks talent from all corners — even those who are not well-known yet. Their work shows real dedication.

“I feel like the people from the board could tell when somebody put passion, put pain, put time on their shit,” Cardi expressed. “When I submit my album, when I submit my records: if I lose, I lose. And if I lose, I lose — it is what it is. But I'm not going to f*cking hate on it … I'm not going to be like, ‘Oh, that don't mean something.' It do mean something. That's why y'all chase it … Stop playing.”

Back in 2019, she won Best Rap Album for Invasion of Privacy. The win came during tough times — she was pregnant, sick, switching managers, and dealing with court cases while working on new music.

"Yes, I sold a lot of records and yes, I had a lot of hit records — and then being recognized for it with the most [prestigious] award? You can never take that from me," she asserted.

Critics keep questioning the Recording Academy. They want better voting rules and more fairness. Some even wonder if GRAMMY wins really show who makes the best music.

This year, Doechii became just the third woman ever to win a Best Rap Album GRAMMY. She joins Cardi B and Lauryn Hill, who won with the Fugees in 1997. Cardi wanted to say nice things to Doechii, to support her after the win, but couldn't, as both Doechii and her mom were too busy crying after the emotional moment.

She mentioned that she could relate to her own experience earning the award the first time. “It meant so much to me because it was just, like, in such a time that I didn't know the certainty of my career and I didn't know nothing about my career,” Cardi said, describing the time she was going through a lot in the industry.

Can't wait to hear her new music? Mark your calendars — Cardi B's new record, Am I the Drama? comes out September 19. You will find her big hits "WAP" and "UP" on it. Don't wait to wait? Pre-orders are available now on her official website.