Cardi B has the number one song on BillBoard’s top 100. Her smash hit single “Bodak Yellow” made history. Cardi became the second female rapper to grace the number one spot. The first being Ms. Lauryn Hill. If you don’t know who Lauryn Hill is then you are not a hip-hop head. Do me a favor, add Lauryn Hill and The Fugees on Spotify and vibe out. I’m not into the "comparing women" business, but I am into comparing music. Unlike other genres, rap has roots rooted in competition, rivalry, and battle. Who is the best on the mic.

I can't say I am a fan of Cardi B’s music, but her "rags to riches" story is incredible. She is Cinderella. Her come-up is a win for her, a win for hip-hop, but it is a loss for black women.

However, I can't blame Cardi B. I can’t blame music nor can I blame these entertainers. If rappers were NFL players, people would demand them to be role models. I like Cardi B. She’s infectious, raw, beautiful, real, and her personality is stellar.

But I hate it, I hate her lyrics and I hate how catchy they are. I hate what hip-hop has done to the black female psyche. I hate that in order for you to be on top or on the come-up you have to get ass shots, fat transfers, nose reconstructions, and terrible lace fronts. I hate that Iggy, Lil Kim (k), Nicki, and Amber Rose are walking ants from Bugslife, and people support it. I blame our culture.

Truthfully, We have seen the Cardi B type before. These types of manufactured images began with Lil Kim which produced NIcki Minaj and Iggy Azalea. We are being fed the same brand but different clothing. The bar has been set so low that anyone can make a beat and rap to it. Who respects the craft and who is actually studying it? We gobble it up then wonder why Slut Walks exist, and why so many black women are ending up missing, and why the STD rate so high. If you don’t think the glorification of casual sex is a problem check the latest STD statistic for people ages 18-24. The dangerous stereotypes of black women are real, not fiction. The positive images of black women we do see our drowned out by negative ones. Those images are too boring or too "white". Now, I’m not saying being ratchet is a problem but well-rounded personalities are a must to tear down stereotypes.

We feed into the objectification, because it is our music. It was founded in our neighborhoods and our streets. We made the rules and we live out the consequences. We support this music, and if we don’t support what these rappers are feeding us we are called hater, bitter, and jealous. I hear it all the time from social media, “But they making money though!” Music has more power than we realize, it seeps into our psyche. These rappers aren’t role models, but we want them to use their platforms to claim their black and to defeat white supremacy. Why not tell these rappers we demand better music?

Although there are rappers who uplift the community, mainstream music caters to those who exploit us. My relationship with hip-hop is mix of frustration, love, and paranoia. I love it, but I cannot deny its lyrics are smothered in misogyny and sexism. I try to tune it out, but I I can’t. The current state of mainstream hip hop benefits no one.

I’m frustrated because one minute I want to twerk and the next I want to be Jackie Kennedy. You can be both they said. But the influence is so powerful that bad outweighs the good and- we know black women aren’t allowed to be both.

I respect Cardi B’s grind and her ability to turn her situation around. But I can’t help to notice, a lot of celebrities who are women come from the same destructive past- once- stripper- now- famous. Their past is glorified in music and they glorify it themselves. Rappers like Rhaposdy, don’t get shine because they don’t fit the ideal image. I don’t care what anyone says this type of music destroys our sense of sexuality. Rap exploited Lil Kim and disserted Lauryn Hill. The wave is sex, money, and aesthetics. Call me prude, but what kind of empty life is that? But, for the culture. For Black women. For Black artists. For Black female rappers. For women. I will…support Cardi B.