Cardi B has a public service announcement: The Bronx rapper will continue to stay true to herself, whether you like it or not. It’s the latest theme of the star’s first-ever Elle Magazine cover. For the September issue, Cardi spoke to Marjon Carlos about music, politics, and — despite numerous cancellation attempts by the internet — her determination to push forward. “Ain’t no way that I’m going to quit. I don’t give a fuck if the whole world picks on me. I don’t give a fuck if people make up lies about me every single day. I want to make it really clear that nobody can ever make me quit,” she says.
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Her unbothered attitude made for an equally striking cover and photo spread, in which the Bardi Gang leader appeared to be dripping in diamonds thanks to a custom crystal wig from Mordekai by Ken Borochov. She completed the look with her signature mauve makeup by Erika La’Pearl, a two-toned black-and-white manicure, and four diamond piercings — the majority of which she got while quarantined. She declared her new cover her “favourite” thanks to being able to show off her labret jewel, which sits just beneath her bottom lip. “The fact that they love my labret piercing makes it my fav!” Cardi wrote on Instagram.
Back in June, celebrity piercer Brian Keith Thompson paid a house visit to the rapper to re-pierce her labret and add two new dermal pieces to her chest. In June, the rapper also revealed a bold makeover to the peacock tattoo that hugs her thighs, hip, and back. For her Elle Magazine cover, Cardi's dermal designs were dressed with two diamond stones, and a fitting diamond dollar sign in the middle.
The cover immediately earned tons of praise from her fans and celebrities alike. "I am so proud of you!!!!!!!!," Taraji P. Henson wrote. Her WAP collaborator Megan Thee Stallion also co-signed with heart-eye emoji. While the response to her new cover from fans and celebs alike is proof that it's a defining moment for the star, her raw honesty about her life, mistakes, relationships, and even beauty choices makes it clear that this is just another beautiful stop on her way to the top.