Cardi B has come to the defense of South African star Tyla, who has faced criticism in recent months for various reasons, including her race, a viral dance moment with Usher, and her 2024 VMAs win. The “Water” hitmaker has been under the spotlight, and one particular incident at the VMAs has sparked considerable conversation.
During the award show, Tyla handed her award to rapper Lil Nas X, stating that it was too heavy to hold. The gesture quickly became a talking point online, with some questioning her actions and offering mixed interpretations of the incident. Critics perceived it as ungrateful, while others saw it as an innocent request for help.
In response to the backlash, Cardi B addressed the situation during a recent Twitter Space, defending Tyla’s decision and shedding light on the practicality behind her request. Cardi explained that Tyla’s focus was likely on handling multiple pressures at once, from delivering a speech to maintaining her appearance while dealing with a physically heavy award.
“You gotta worry about motherfkin’ doing a speech, looking good while you’re carrying a motherfkin’ 10-pound fkin’ [award] in your motherfkin’ hand,” Cardi B said. “So I just don’t think you understand how fking heavy those fkin’ awards are.”
Cardi went on to describe Tyla’s petite frame, explaining why carrying the award may have been more challenging for the South African singer. “I met Tyla in person. I’m 5’3″, so I’m already short, and she’s shorter than me,” Cardi said. “She’s shaped really beautifully, but she’s very, very skinny. Skinny like, Mariah-type skinny. She has to weigh like 109 pounds. So imagine you’re 109 pounds and you gotta carry a 10 f**king award with heels.”
Cardi further addressed the misunderstanding, noting that Tyla didn’t ask a female artist to hold the award as some critics claimed. “She literally asked Lil Nas X. Y’all are trying to make this into an, ‘Oh, how rude is she?’ She asked a man, not another female artist, to hold it.”
In addition to defending Tyla’s VMAs moment, Cardi B also addressed the “uppity African” comment made by Joe Budden during his criticism of Tyla, once again standing up for the young artist.
Cardi B’s support comes as a powerful reminder of the importance of empathy and understanding, as Tyla continues to navigate the challenges of fame on the global stage.
Cardi B defending Tyla is actually cute to see pic.twitter.com/HswDftUZWV
— Vampz (@Hybrid_Ola) September 16, 2024
