Cardi B snapped at a fan on X on Wednesday, July 22, who suggested she stay single and “focus on herself,” responding “B—-, I’m not going to be single for the rest of my life.” The 33-year-old rapper was unfiltered as she addressed the constant commentary from her fanbase about her romantic choices—and she wasn’t apologizing for living her life.
In a candid X Spaces conversation, Cardi said “The p*ssy needs some love too” and “She can’t stay single forever.” This comes months after the “WAP” rapper and the NFL star split “a few days” before he and the New England Patriots were defeated by the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 2026. The rapper and football player were together for a year before they broke up. They were first spotted together on Valentine’s Day in 2025, when the two arrived at a Miami hotel. However, the two didn’t confirm their relationship until May.
The split itself was brutal. The couple, who welcomed a son in November 2025, appear to have split after they unfollowed each other on social media. He allegedly “betrayed her so many times” and “Her friends have been trying to show her that he is not right for her and that she deserved better,” according to sources close to Cardi. The whole thing went down right around the Super Bowl—timing that couldn’t have been worse for anyone involved.
But here’s the thing: Cardi’s getting heat not just for moving on, but for who she might be moving toward. Cardi B was recently spotted with Nigerian soccer star Maduka Okoye. The internet did what the internet does—questioned her choices, implied she should focus on herself, hit her with the “stay single queen” energy. And Cardi wasn’t having it. “I’m not going to be single for the rest of my life,” she said. “I was single throughout my whole [Little Miss Drama] tour. Single, not talking to nobody, not entertaining nobody, not anything.” She seemingly referred to her brief reunion with Stefon Diggs earlier this year, saying she left that situation “right away.”
What’s real here is the double standard. Cardi’s been through it—she filed for divorce for the second time from estranged husband Offset in August 2024. She had Offset’s babies, she dealt with public infidelity rumors, she was in the culture as part of Migos’ orbit, and now she’s navigating life as a single mother and international rap superstar. She’s also been keeping the music moving—she wrapped her tour, she’s touring, she’s working. But the moment she steps out with someone new, suddenly she needs to “focus on herself.” That’s the narrative that gets thrown at women in hip-hop and beyond, and Cardi’s calling bullshit.
The context matters too. She noted that she notices a major shift in energy whenever she gets involved with a guy from someone else’s past, noting that those situations tend to “ruffle women’s feathers.” It’s not just about dating—it’s about how women in the culture police each other’s choices while the men move freely. Cardi’s lived that contradiction her whole career.
The 16BARS take: Cardi B’s right to clap back. She doesn’t owe anyone celibacy—not her fans, not the internet, not the culture. She spent a year with Diggs, they had a baby, it didn’t work, and now she’s moving. That’s called being a grown woman. Let her date.
