An exasperated Cardi B gave her fans a history lesson and a breakdown of her family tree after being pulled into the recent controversy over DaniLeigh’s new song “Yellow Bone.” When DaniLeigh was called out for promoting colorism by fans insisting she isn’t Black because of her Dominican roots, it wasn’t long before some were making the comparison between Dani and Cardi, who is also Dominican.
sooo dani leigh ain’t blacc but cardi is? y’all jus pick and choose who’s blacc atp #Danileigh #Dani #CardiB pic.twitter.com/M3ty8sfjoj
— datraphouse (@datraphouse5) January 22, 2021
Again, DaniLeigh and Cardi B are the same exploiting the black community for profit. pic.twitter.com/nE7jV6gXec
— tall_n_opinionated (@tallopinionated) January 25, 2021
Cardi B and Dani Leigh are in the same exact boat, but y’all not ready for that conversation ?
— st. (@jaytharr) January 21, 2021
Cardi wasn’t happy about being dragged into the controversy after explaining her history multiple times since becoming a celebrity as a cast member of Love & Hip-Hop, but it has been over 18 months since the last time and that’s usually about how long it takes for everyone on the internet to forget something happened and bring it back up again. “Every 6 months I gotta explain myself cause people can’t research,” she tweeted. She then followed up with a series of photos and quick responses hashing out her appearance and how she slowly learned to use correct terminology over time.
Every 6 months I gotta explain myself cause people can’t research https://t.co/QPO7A3nEqS
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) January 25, 2021
Before I even got my teeth fix I was talking about my roots Not just cause of fame Thank you carry one ?????? pic.twitter.com/FnJg7OxqyR
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) January 25, 2021
And I alway claimed to be half not full before ya come with the bullshit. pic.twitter.com/n2ISwl1NlQ
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) January 25, 2021
Explaining that she always embraced her Afro-Latina roots, Cardi cleared up that she hasn’t “always been super woke” and didn’t always use the correct terminology when one commenter said she didn’t know the difference between “race,” “nationality,” and “ethnicity.” She also shared old photos of her family members to support her explanations and told her detractors, “It’s time for ya to pick up a book. Your ignorance at this point is a choice.”
My grandma (my mother’s mother) pic.twitter.com/WPHnHumU0x
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) January 25, 2021
My aunts and my mother pic.twitter.com/Ku7xFN5dYO
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) January 25, 2021
My mom , me ,Henny and my mom brother pic.twitter.com/h5VkxaQPiS
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) January 25, 2021
It’s time for ya to pick up a book.Your ignorance at this point is a Choice .
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) January 25, 2021
Finally, proving that she’s mastered navigating social media controversies — as she should, considering she’s been at the center of so many — she pivoted the topic to skincare, asking fans for product suggestions for her recent breakouts. Meanwhile, DaniLeigh’s halfhearted apologies for “Yellow Bone” went full Lana Del Rey, bringing up her “chocolate man” and “dark-skinned friends.” Maybe she could take notes from Cardi and Chika, who explained why any Black woman would understand the harmful dynamics involved in “Yellow Bone” reinforcing the tenets of colorism.