In an expansive interview with XXL, Cardi B shares her thoughts on multi-million dollar business deals, the current crop of female rappers, and her new album.

Cardi B has the music industry in a chokehold. Some might even say she's the leading female voice in rap. 

In a new interview with XXL, the rapper openly shares details on what it’s been like garnering success and fame. She also shared thoughts on knowing her worth when she’s being thrown million-dollar business deals. The interesting read also pinpointed how she maneuvers as a Black woman in music. 

At one point Cardi discloses that she started realizing that upfront a business might try to negotiate $2 million assuming she’s thirsty for that. “I just feel like if you want to keep hiring me, I figured that you’re making a lot of money out of me. I just feel like that little two million, that little three million, I mean, sometimes even a little five million, ’cause I get five [million], $10 million deals. I just feel like, you gotta be making triple,” she shared.

At times the internet has placed women rappers against each other. On the new crop of female rappers, Cardi shared she’s against cattiness and will endorse music she actually enjoys. “If I like you, I’m gonna endorse you. If I like your music, I’m gonna tell you that I like your music,” she shared. “I don’t want to feel like I have a responsibility to look out for the girls and cuddle the girls and this and that. I feel like nobody did it for me, so it’s like, I don’t have to do it for you.”

Later in the interview, she also shares she doesn’t like releasing music alongside other rappers. “It’s not that I’m competitive, I just don’t like to be on pace with somebody else. I like running on my own time. I like doing things on my own time and my way. So, I really hate when people pit me against each other, because it just makes me feel like I gotta move like them. And I don’t like moving like nobody else. Even last year, everybody was putting music out, all the females. Nicki Minaj. Doja Cat. Megan Thee Stallion. And people was just saying, ‘Oh, Cardi is over. Cardi’s over.’”

On Megan Thee Stallion, she added:

“You know, when Megan [Thee Stallion] came out, people for a whole year was like, ‘I never seen Cardi and Megan together. I know they don’t fucking like each other.’ I feel like people kept putting me against her and everything. I was like, Damn. That sucks. Because I like her music… When I met her, you know, it was just dope, and it was a very natural, smooth [meeting]. We did a song, and it went so smoothly and it went so well. Even with this “WAP” performance [for the Grammys], it went so smoothly. It went so well. And sometimes I get on social media, and I do good, and she randomly congratulates me.

Cardi also shared, “I had [‘WAP’] for months. Could’ve been put it out. And no, I’m not gonna put out a song because other bitches is doing good or they’re doing great. That’s them. What they eat don’t make me shit.” 

In case you were wondering, her next album is on the horizon, she did not share an official release date. But she cleared up whether or not she's working on it:

"I feel like at this point, it’s like a timeline that I created. Because last year, I was like, I gotta put out my album this year. But, then I just stopped working on my album out of nowhere because I feel like the whole COVID thing discouraged me to put out my album. Because I want to put out an album, and I want to tour."

To read the entire XXL interview, head here.