It would be totally understandable if Cardi B took a break from music after the birth of her daughter Kulture or during her high-profile split from husband Offset, but not only did the rapper drop a new single shortly after giving birth, she made a music video for that single in the midst of all this family drama.
It makes sense because her song "Money" is pretty much an ode to both her daughter and her career, and now we get to see it come to life in a whole new way. The singer put motherhood on full display, breastfeeding a baby (maybe Kulture?) in not one but two different shots, as well as dancing and twerking to show that she can have both.
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"I gotta fly, I need a jet, shit / I need room for my legs," the lyrics read. "I got a baby, I need some money, yeah / I need cheese for my egg."
Later on in the song, she gets more explicit about her baby, calling Kulture out by name as well as the initials K.K.C. for Kulture Kiari Cephus.
"But nothing in this world that I like more than Kulture...All a bad bitch need is the K, K, C (Woo!)."
This is a song about motherhood, but Cardi hasn't strayed from her thematic roots. "I was born to flex (Yes)," she reminds us. "Diamonds on my neck / I like boardin' jets, I like mornin' sex (Woo!) / But nothing in this world that I like more than checks (Money)."
Cardi juxtaposes images of motherhood with her dancing on the pole to tear down societal expectations of what motherhood should look like. She does not sacrifice her sex appeal or desire for power and money now that she's got a baby; she's going to keep pursuing those things with the baby by her side.
Cardi joins a bigger trend of women normalizing motherhood, particularly breastfeeding. Just this week, Rachel McAdams appeared on the cover of Girls. Girls. Girls. Magazine while using a breast pump, and now mothers have an anthem for this no-apologies, nips-out attitude for 2019.
Watch the music video below.
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