Cardi B Opens Up About Her Personal Expenses

If you use the internet, you’re probably already aware that Cardi B is outspoken. But lately, her usual candour on social media has taken on somewhat of a political tone.

Recently, she dragged a conservative pundit who commented on her sudden surge of political activism. She also spoke out about her reasons for turning down an offer to perform at the Super Bowl. But Cardi isn’t stopping there — she’s now opening up about her finances.

In a timely move, given her recent hit entitled "Money," Cardi took to Twitter to post a video, which has since been deleted, clapping back at people who critique celebrities for the money that they choose to spend.

"I hate when celebrities do something very extravagant, buy something very luxurious, and there’s people in the comments like, ‘You could have donated that,’” Cardi B said in her video.

The optics of these expenses, she explained, are just the tip of the iceberg: "Do you know that artists, celebrities — the IRS, out of every check that you make, they automatically take 45%,” Cardi B said. “That means in order to spend $500,000, you gotta make at least a million.”

Cardi B was also quick to point out that many rappers, including herself, have expenses that much of the public are not taking into account. “Artists like me and a lot of rappers that I know, they literally take care of their whole family,” she said. “And that's not tax deductible because the IRS don't consider that a business.”

On top of this, Cardi shared that keeping up appearances as an artist and looking good for her fans didn’t come cheap. According to the video, her bills currently run between $250,000 (£190,000) and $300,000 (£230,000) a month. “I try to put it cheaper and it's just, it's not.”

Regardless of what she’s shelling out, Cardi’s video is a good reminder that personal spending habits are, well, personal.

And while it’s definitely a good idea to give what we can to those who have less, the reality is: We often don’t know the ins and outs of anyone’s bank account (well, except for people who submit their Money Diaries), so we shouldn’t judge — a sentiment Cardi B summarised perfectly: “Who are you to tell people what to do with their hard-working-ass money?”