Cardi B was presented the Billboard’s Woman Of The Year award for 2020 by Breonna Taylor’s mother.
Cardi has been one of the most vocal celebrities in the case of Taylor, using her platform to rally for justice for the murdered EMT.
“One of Breonna’s most outspoken advocates over the past nine months has been Cardi B,” said Palmer in a pre-recorded statement. “From the beginning, Cardi has used her platform to spread the truth about what happened to Breonna and to reaffirm that Black women’s lives matter.”
“Cardi B’s impact reaches far beyond music,” she continued. “That why I am so proud and honored to present Billboard’s Woman of the Year award to Miss Cardi B.”
In her acceptance speech, Cardi spoke about the impact of COVID-19 on her career and offered words of encouragement to young girls growing up like her.
“This year, when it came to music, I had so many things planned. I had so many projects that I wanted to come out. Unfortunately, due to COVID, I couldn’t put out the visuals the way that I wanted, it messed up my creative space. You know, I think everyone this year was just messed up. So I’m just grateful and thankful that the song that I actually did put out this year, which was ‘WAP,’ featuring Megan Thee Stallion, not only was it an amazing song that broke so many records, but it was a conversation that I never thought was going to be so big. I mean, it pissed off a whole bunch of Republicans for no reason, you know what I’m saying? It was just weird.”
She went on to say: “When I first became an adult – I always wanted to be an artist, but you know, when bills come, situations come, you’re just like, ‘Damn, what am I going to do in the next five, four years?’ And you’re just working to survive and pay bills and everything, and that’s not what life is about. Life is about making your dreams come true, but in order to make your dreams come true, don’t think that it’s gonna come and fall from the sky to your lap. You actually gotta put in the work. You gotta be ambitious. You gotta network. You gotta become great at what you do. You gotta be able to take criticism — believe it or not, y’all be saying I don’t take criticism, but yes I do. That’s why when people be like, ‘Oh, you can’t do this, you can’t do that,’ I practice so I can become better and better. There’s hope. There’s hope for your dreams.
Watch Cardi’s full speech below.
