Cardi B says years of public feuds with other female rappers inspired the title of her upcoming album, Am I the Drama?, set for release on Sept. 19.
In a new interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, the Grammy-winning rapper reflected on the headlines she has generated for high-profile clashes with artists including Nicki Minaj, Bia and JT of City Girls.
"It's like, 'Damn, does drama chase me? Or am I the drama?'" Cardi said. "Sometimes the light is great, but it also disturbs people's peace. It draws people to me, and it's not always going to be good."
Cardi, 32, suggested her outspoken personality and success in the industry make her a target. "Even in the industry, there is a lot of different female rappers, but for some reason, it's something about me that these b—hes can't stand," she said. "They can't f–k with me."
The rapper compared her position to that of a high school "senior" being challenged by "sophomores." She said rivals frequently aim criticism her way instead of focusing on their own careers.
Cardi, who has also made headlines for disputes with her estranged husband, Offset, insisted she is ready to move forward. "They always got to focus on throwing me shots and throwing me slings ... and I'm sick of it. It's like, f–k you, f–k everybody."
Am I the Drama? marks Cardi's sophomore album following her 2018 debut Invasion of Privacy. The new project follows the release of her singles "Outside" and "Imaginary Playerz."
Cardi B Assault Trial Opens in California
Meanwhile, in separate news, a civil trial began Monday over allegations that rapper Cardi B assaulted a Beverly Hills security guard in 2018, with sharply different accounts presented to jurors about what happened outside a physician's office where the performer was seeking confidential prenatal care.
Plaintiff Emani Ellis, who worked as a security guard at the medical building, testified that she was making routine rounds on Feb. 24, 2018, when she saw Belcalis Almánzar — known professionally as Cardi B — step off an elevator near a fifth-floor obstetrician's office. Ellis said she exclaimed, "Wow, that's Cardi B," and that the rapper turned and put a finger "in [her] face," accusing her of using a phone to record the visit. Ellis said Almánzar then yelled at her, cut her left cheek with a fingernail and spat on her.
"I was deeply traumatized about what happened," Ellis told the jury as the trial opened in an Alhambra courtroom.
On cross-examination, Almánzar's attorney Peter Anderson pointed to an incident report Ellis filed with her supervisor two days after the alleged confrontation, which said Ellis was holding her personal cellphone to her ear near the time of the encounter. Anderson said that contradicted Ellis's trial testimony that she was not using a phone. He also highlighted an apparent inconsistency over whether the injury was to Ellis' nose — as noted in the earlier report — or to her cheek, which Ellis said she later had plastic surgery to repair.
"You changed your story," Anderson told Ellis during cross-examination.
Anderson, in his opening statement, described Almánzar as having arranged a confidential Saturday appointment with the obstetrician because she was concerned about her pregnancy; prosecutors have said the singer was about four months pregnant at the time and the pregnancy was being kept private. Anderson said Almánzar became alarmed when she heard Ellis call her name while holding a phone and believed she was being photographed or recorded in a private medical setting.
"Cardi turned around and saw the plaintiff holding up the phone, filming or photographing her," Anderson told jurors. He said a verbal war of words broke out and that Ellis had been "belligerent," telling Almánzar, "Because I can," when asked why she was recording. Anderson said security footage and testimony will show the guard posed a physical threat and that other staffers intervened and removed Ellis from the area.
Anderson said Almánzar feared for her unborn baby as Ellis, whom he described as a large woman wearing heavy boots, advanced toward her.
Ellis, who filed the lawsuit in February 2020, originally accused Almánzar of not only assault but also using her celebrity status to get Ellis fired. As the trial opened Monday, Ellis and her attorney said they were dropping the employment-related claim.
Almánzar has denied the assault allegations. She is expected to testify Tuesday, according to court filings and comments from her legal team. After leaving the courthouse Monday, the singer, now a mother of three, took out her phone to FaceTime her young daughter, a video posted by onlookers showed.
Almánzar's defense team includes high-profile trial lawyer Lisa F. Moore, who has represented the performer in previous lawsuits. In 2022, Almánzar pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts stemming from a separate 2018 brawl and accepted a no-jail plea deal, telling the court at the time that she was taking responsibility for her actions.
A psychologist's April 2018 medical-history note filed in the case quoted Ellis as describing the encounter as a "screaming match" and said Almánzar "put her finger in [Ellis'] face," nearly touching her nose.
The civil trial, which could include testimony from medical staff, eyewitnesses and security footage, will determine whether Almánzar is liable for assault and battery and any resulting damages. No trial date for deliberations has been announced.
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