Cardi B's Long History Of Rap Beef & Public Rivalries

Another day, another Cardi B feud. The Grammy-winning rapper and Akbar V have spent recent weeks trading disses and a slew of scathing accusations across social media, extending a rivalry that has simmered for years. Like many of Cardi's public disputes, what began online quickly spilled into music, drawing fans into another round of debate over who landed the harder bars and whether the exchange should continue.

Now, this moment feels familiar. Nearly every stage of Cardi's rise has come with a high-profile adversary. There have been disagreements that stayed confined to Instagram Live or X. Others turned into courtroom battles or some of the biggest headlines in Hip Hop. Along the way, those conflicts became just as much a part of her public persona as those chart-topping singles and Grammy wins.

The reasons for these beefs have varied. Fellow rappers questioned her talent. Bloggers and internet personalities spread rumors. Political commentators criticized her views. Former collaborators aired grievances. Through it all, Cardi has rarely taken the quiet route. She's responded in interviews, online, in court, or on a record. Further, Cardi has consistently made it clear that if her name enters the conversation, she's probably going to have something to say about it.

Akbar V is simply the latest chapter in a career that has never lacked for confrontation. Looking back, each feud captures a different moment in Cardi B's evolution, beginning with her reality television breakout to becoming one of Rap's biggest stars.

Reality television gave Cardi B her first taste of widespread fame, but it also produced her first major public feud. Her relationship with Self unraveled during Love & Hip Hop: New York after the rapper accused him of doing little to advance her music career. As Cardi's popularity continued to grow beyond the show, frustration between the two spilled onto the screen. Self ultimately dropped Cardi from his Gwinin Entertainment roster, questioning her attitude and professionalism while insisting she wasn't making the most of the opportunities in front of her.

Cardi fired back just as publicly. She argued that she'd already outgrown the relationship and had no interest in working with someone she believed wasn't fully invested in her success.

No feud has been more closely tied to Cardi B's career than her long-running rivalry with Nicki Minaj. Comparisons between the two began almost as soon as Cardi emerged as Rap's newest superstar. As "Bodak Yellow" climbed the charts and Cardi collected accolades, fans and Hip Hop media framed the moment as a passing of the torch. Both artists repeatedly denied being in competition, but the speculation only intensified. Tensions eventually spilled into public view, fueled by disagreements surrounding "MotorSport" and competing narratives.

Everything came to a head in September 2018 at Harper's Bazaar's ICONS party during New York Fashion Week. Cardi confronted Nicki over comments she believed were directed at her family. This ultimately led to a physical altercation that quickly became one of the most talked-about moments in Hip Hop that year. Rah Ali, a one-time close friend of Nicki's, later claimed she became involved in the incident. In 2025, Minaj accused Ali of credit card theft, and the two are reportedly no longer friends.

Offset's personal life became tabloid fodder almost as quickly as Cardi B's career exploded, and Cuban Doll found herself caught in the middle. In late 2018, rumors spread online claiming the rapper had been romantically involved with Offset while he was married to Cardi. Cuban Doll denied the allegations, but the speculation had already gained traction across blogs and social media. Cardi wasn't interested in letting the internet tell her story, taking to Instagram Live to confront the rumors and call out those she believed were fueling them.

The dispute soon spilled across social media, with Cuban Doll responding publicly as fans dissected every post and perceived subliminal messages. Although the back-and-forth eventually cooled, it reflected a recurring theme throughout Cardi's career. Whenever her marriage became part of the conversation, she rarely left accusations unanswered.

Not every Cardi B feud played out on social media. One of her most significant battles unfolded inside a courtroom. For years, YouTuber Tasha K published videos making a series of allegations about Cardi, including claims involving sexually transmitted infections, drug use, and prostitution. Cardi repeatedly denied the accusations before taking the dispute to court, arguing that the commentary crossed the line from opinion into defamation.

In 2022, a federal jury agreed, awarding Cardi nearly $4 million in damages. The verdict sent shockwaves through Hip Hop, sparking conversations about accountability for content creators and where the line exists between commentary and knowingly spreading false information. The legal battle continued through appeals and bankruptcy proceedings, but the case had already become one of the most closely watched defamation lawsuits involving a major recording artist.

If there was an internet personality attached to a celebrity cheating rumor, chances were Celina Powell's name wasn't far behind. Cardi B found herself dealing with Powell on more than one occasion as the social media personality made repeated claims about Offset and his alleged relationships with other women. Powell's accusations routinely spread across blogs and YouTube, fueling speculation about the couple's marriage and inviting millions of people into their personal lives.

Cardi didn't hide her frustration. She dismissed Powell's claims publicly and accused her of chasing attention through fabricated stories, adding another chapter to the long list of people the rapper felt were using her name for clout. While the exchanges eventually faded, they reinforced a pattern that had become impossible to ignore. Fame brought success, but it also turned Cardi's relationship into a constant source of internet speculation.

Cardi B's longest-running disagreements haven't all involved rappers. The Bronx native and conservative commentator Candace Owens have spent years clashing over politics and culture. Owens frequently criticized Cardi's political endorsements, questioned her influence in the industry, and dismissed her role in public discourse because of her racy lyrics. Cardi rarely let those remarks go unanswered, responding across social media and in interviews while defending both her opinions and her right to speak on issues that mattered to her.

Their exchanges often stretched beyond music, touching on everything from race and motherhood to feminism and government policy. Unlike many of Cardi's other feuds, this one wasn't rooted in Hip Hop. It reflected her growing presence in mainstream political conversations, where her celebrity carried as much weight as her music.

Cardi B and JT weren't always viewed as rivals. For years, many fans saw them as two artists who shared mutual respect while navigating the pressures of being women at the top of Rap. However, that perception shifted in 2024 when the pair traded insults across X, with the disagreement escalating into personal attacks. There were leaked direct messages and accusations from both sides. It initially appeared to be another social media disagreement but quickly became one of the year's biggest hot topics in Hip Hop, as fanbases chose sides and dissected every post. Although the feud eventually cooled, it highlighted just how quickly relationships in Rap can change under the weight of public scrutiny.

Like many of Cardi B's feuds, the tension with BIA eventually found its way into the booth. Speculation surrounding the pair had circulated for months before either rapper addressed it directly. Fans pointed to social media and perceived subliminal lyrics as evidence that something had been brewing behind the scenes. The conversation intensified after Cardi released tracks with bars targeting BIA following the latter's own music and public comments.

The rivalry escalated in 2024 when BIA released "Sue Meee?," a diss record aimed at Cardi that questioned everything from her songwriting to her personal life. Cardi wasted little time responding with "SUE ME," firing back with accusations of her own while dismissing BIA's standing in the Rap game. The exchange marked one of the clearest examples of Cardi engaging in a traditional lyrical battle rather than limiting the dispute to social media.

Akbar V has become Cardi B's most consistent sparring partner in recent years. Their rivalry has stretched across various eras of Cardi's career, fueled by social media exchanges and an ever-growing list of personal accusations. Many of Cardi's earlier feuds eventually fizzled out, but this one has repeatedly found new life whenever either rapper comments on the other.

Their latest exchange has been among the most heated yet. Diss tracks quickly followed online insults, with both artists accusing the other of everything from industry politics to personal misconduct. Fans have spent days breaking down lyrics and livestream clips, turning the feud into explosive moments on social media.

Whether the latest round finally puts the rivalry to rest remains to be seen. If Cardi's history has shown anything, it's that she has never been afraid to answer criticism, especially when it comes from another rapper. Taken together, though, they reveal something that has remained remarkably consistent throughout Cardi's career. She's never been interested in letting someone else control the narrative. The criticism can come from a fellow rapper, a blogger, a political commentator, or an internet personality. Still, her instinct has almost always been the same, with unfiltered responses.