The conversation between Cardi B and Latto is back in the spotlight after Latto confirmed that a lyric on her Big Mama album was aimed at Cardi and opened up about their strained friendship during a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club.
Not long after the interview aired, Cardi B took to X with a lengthy response, sharing her side of what happened and explaining why she chose to apologize publicly before reaching out privately.
The latest chapter in the story traces back to a leaked phone call involving Cardi B and Ice Spice’s manager, James Rosemond Jr., which surfaced shortly after Latto appeared on the “ErrTime” remix for Cardi’s Am I the Drama? album in September. During the leaked conversation, Cardi made remarks about Latto that quickly spread online, including calling the Atlanta rapper a derogatory name.
According to Cardi, the situation escalated during what she described as a heated conversation. In her recent statement, she said her words did not accurately reflect what she intended to say.
“I truly understand how you feel…and that’s exactly why I chose to apologize publicly because the disrespect became public,” Cardi wrote. “On that call, I didn’t even mean to call you that. I didn’t mean any harm. There’s a difference in what I said vs what I meant.”
Cardi went on to explain that she was dealing with significant personal and professional pressures at the time. She revealed that she was eight months pregnant, had recently released her album, and was feeling overwhelmed emotionally.
“But it was a heated conversation, and I let my mouth get the best of me,” she said. “When the call came out, I was eight months pregnant, had just released my album, and was extremely overwhelmed and emotional.”
The Grammy-winning rapper also shared that she made several attempts to reconnect with Latto after the incident. According to Cardi, she reached out directly through text messages and also communicated through Latto’s manager and sister in an effort to take responsibility and repair their friendship.
“I always had love and respect for you,” Cardi wrote. “I always wanted to make it right, but making it right looks different for the both of us. I wanted to connect with you, but you wanted to address it on your album.”
That album reference points to Big Mama, which arrived on May 29. On the track “Gimme Dat,” Latto appeared to reference Cardi’s public apology and her offer to buy her a designer handbag. In the song, Latto raps, “Talkin’ ’bout buying Big Mama a bag like my n—a ain’t already bought it,” a line she later confirmed was directed at Cardi.
During her Breakfast Club interview, Latto explained why the situation stayed with her. The rapper revealed that she was in the early stages of pregnancy when the original controversy unfolded and said the comments hit differently because she viewed Cardi as more than just a colleague.
“It’s someone I deadass looked at as a friend,” Latto said. “We were on a texting basis. So I feel like, ‘Yeah, you tweeted to the world, but we got each other’s number.’”
Latto also confirmed that Cardi eventually reached out privately, but said it happened roughly two months later. By then, she said, she had already moved on mentally from the situation.
“So then probably like two months later, something like that, she did text me, but by that time I’m like, ‘I’m not even thinking about that,’” she explained.
While the two artists clearly have different perspectives on how the fallout should have been handled, both women have now publicly addressed the situation. Cardi maintains that she made multiple efforts to apologize and reconnect, while Latto has acknowledged that she remains open to another conversation in the future.
