During a recent X Spaces chat with fans, Cardi B opened up about the relentless scrutiny celebrities face in the social media era, using South African star Tyla as a prime example.
Cardi recalled her own experience with body shaming during pregnancy before turning her thoughts to Tyla’s backlash. “People been dragging the sh*t out of Tyla and it’s, like, the girl don’t even f**king address or talk about nothing,” she said.
The Bronx rapper argued that some people simply don’t like celebrities unless they remain completely silent. “They beat your energy and they beat your confidence, they beat you to the f**king ground,” she said, noting that it’s exhausting to see “thousands of videos” tearing someone down.
While the mother-of-three admitted she doesn’t know the exact origin of Tyla’s backlash, she’s noticed a constant wave of negativity surrounding the “Water” singer whenever she scrolls through TikTok. “Goddamn, what do you want her to f**king do, cut her f**king veins? Like, enough. Enough. I really think that’s what y’all be wanting,” she projected.
Much of the criticism traces back to a resurfaced 2020 TikTok in which Tyla referred to herself as a “Coloured South African,” as well as her choice not to address a question from Charlamagne Tha God about her ethnicity during a 2023 interview on The Breakfast Club.
In a Variety interview following the moment, Tyla admitted the controversy was “confusing” for her, saying she understood both sides but felt “shaken” when her identity was challenged. Earlier this year in a British Vogue cover story, Tyla explained why she chose not to answer Charlamagne’s question, saying she didn’t want to unpack her culture in a space she felt would intentionally misconstrue her words.
She also shed light on the historical meaning of “coloured” in South Africa, explaining that it refers to a specific mixed-race classification under apartheid — a system of racial segregation enforced until the 1990s. While she identifies as Black, she grew up also identifying as “coloured” in the South African context, which created a “cultural clash” when she arrived in the U.S. after learning the term’s history here.
See Cardi B defending Tyla above.
