If you were on the internet over the weekend, you probably caught yourself wondering why Madonna and Cardi B were circulating the same headlines.
You might have wondered if a world-colliding collab was underway, but initially, in this situation, ‘disrespect’ was not the title of a single.
Both are undoubtedly icons, despite living in different music realms. The differences in their music have often led people to compare their personal places in pop culture. However, the recent debacle actually revealed how similar their philosophies are, particularly on female sexual empowerment – notwithstanding a little miscommunicated flare first.
Said flare
On Sunday, Cardi B, an ever-present force when it comes to calling people out, took to Twitter to express what she deemed disrespectful energy from the queen of pop herself – Madonna.
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The fire-off was based on a recent Instagram Story shared by Madonna. Madge, reflecting on the 30-year anniversary of her culture-shaking coffee table book S.E.X , shared that decades prior she’d explored sexuality in photographs and writing, housed in the book.
She compared its publishing to the current pop culture scene’s releases that often see sexually empowered content by women for women, mentioning Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s hit WAP, amongst others.
“I spent the next few years being interviewed by narrow-minded people who tried to shame me for empowering myself as a Woman. I was called a w—, a witch a heretic and the devil,” Madonna added.
“Now Cardi B can sing about her WAP. Kim Kardashian can grace the cover of any magazine with her naked a— and Miley Cyrus can come in like a wrecking ball. You’re welcome b—,” she wrote with a clown emoji that solidified what many interpreted as the wrong message to today’s stars.
Emoji choice, as many keyboard warriors know, is the modern-day side eye – only with extra sauce.
One camp of the internet interpreted Madonna’s message as a bitter dig, and of course the larger discourse of female competitiveness was spun into the mix. Others shared that she was well within her right to claim that she’d paved a sexually empowered pathway and wear the crown that comes with trailblazing – even if the emoji choice was misleading.
Cardi B’s Twitter trail (since deleted) shared the influence Madonna had on her, sharing that she’d grown up listening to her before she took to expand on that frowned-upon clown emoji.
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“She can make her point without putting clown emojis and getting slick out the mouth. These icons really become disappointments once u make it in the industry that’s why I keep to myself,” she wrote.
Cardi also reshared old content where she’d praised Madonna as her “real life IDOL” and admired her feminist liberalism.
While the internet sweated in anticipation to see whether the next icon feud had been established, both women proved that they were actually each other’s supporters. As the saying goes, “comprehension is key”, and it wasn’t long until a phone call solved everything.
Per a fly on the wall’s tweet (Jason Lee):
“Listening to both women share their perspective on the communication going on has broadened their love for each other. Love this [signed fly on the wall].”
On the phone with Madonna and Cardi. Listening to both women share their perspective on the communication going on has broadened their love for each other. Love this [signed a fly on the wall] @iamcardib
— Jason Lee (@theonlyjasonlee) October 23, 2022
As for the makeup, Cardi shared in another since-deleted post that she is a ‘sensitive gangsta’ and explained that it hit home a little harder because Madonna is no “regular deregular artist’, AKA Cardi’s way of sharing how much she admires Madge.
Both have since shared their love for each other with Madge singing off “I love you @iamcardib, always have and always will.”
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Feature Image: @Madonna/ @iamcardib
