Cardi B is back in the headlines after stating that she is not African American during her ongoing courtroom battle.
The Bronx rapper is being sued by a former security guard, Emani Ellis, who claims Cardi verbally and physically attacked her back in 2018. During the cross-examination, a surprising exchange went down that has the internet in a frenzy.
The plaintiff’s attorney asked the rapper, “Would you consider yourself African-American?” Cardi’s response immediately went viral: “I consider myself Afro-Caribbean.”
This isn’t the first time the rapper has addressed her ethnicity. She has been very open about her background, which is rooted in Trinidad and the Dominican Republic. However, the courtroom clip has reopened the long-standing debate online about what it means to be Black in America versus identifying as Afro-Caribbean.
Fans and critics alike took to social media to weigh in. Some argued that “Afro-Caribbean is Black” and that Cardi isn’t denying her Blackness, just clarifying her specific heritage. One user wrote, “Afro-Caribbean is BLACK, Cardi never denied sht she just ain’t African American. Stop gatekeeping when the diaspora got motion without your stamp. Y’all act like you are the only n**as in the world.”
Others weren’t as understanding. Some users felt her comment was a way to distance herself from Black American identity, especially given her use of the N-word in her music and public life. One critic stated, “Cardi B is NOT black and has no right to say the n word. I don’t know why she gets away with it.”
While the internet debates her identity, the trial itself continues. Ellis alleges that Cardi B spat on her, mocked her weight, and scratched her face during their confrontation. Cardi’s legal team, however, claims that Ellis was the aggressor and that the rapper acted in self-defense.
