Criticism Arises Over Background Message in Cardi B’s Maternity Shoot

Cardi B’s recent maternity photo shoot has sparked backlash after people noticed the word “pedophile” written in the background graffiti.

On Sunday, September 1st, Cardi B posted a series of maternity photos on her Instagram. In these pictures, the Bronx rapper is seen sitting on a motorcycle while pregnant, wearing high-heeled boots and a vintage Alpinestars reserve x Tanaka jacket from the 1990s. The caption read: “I wanna meet my little boo boo soo bad already [pensive face emoji].”

While the images initially appeared innocent, fans quickly observed the controversial graffiti in the background, leading to widespread criticism. Some people felt that taking maternity photos in such a setting was inappropriate, while others speculated that Cardi did it to throw shade at her rap rival Nicki Minaj and her husband, Kenneth Petty, a registered sex offender.

“Omg, Cardi B is so weird for that like huhhhh? To have that word in your maternity shoot is crazyyyyy,” one person commented on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Another fan expressed confusion: “I don’t even understand making that pedophile Cardi B maternity pic a moment to shade Nicki. Like no. Take Nicki out and it’s weird regardless. She’s literally wearing the brand that promoted child sexuality. These celebs are very nasty and perverted! They show us constantly.”

Cardi B soon addressed the criticism on X, explaining the circumstances behind the controversial photos.

“First of all we literally picked a random street because paparazzi was hounding us everywhere,” Cardi wrote. “This was supposed to be my original first picture, and we had to edit the photos in minutes because the shoot got leaked.”

“Didn’t even have time to go over every detail because people were busy trying to expose my pregnancy as ‘aha’ moment,” she continued. “Second, I’m ALWAYS with the sh**s but I’m not using MY MATERNITY shoot to be funny. Are you dumb??”

In response to a fan’s accusation that Cardi was making excuses for her “team”‘s failure to notice the graffiti, Cardi defended herself sternly.

“A team?? B**ch, my makeup artist touched up the picture because we didn’t have time for all that; it says the date and time, nobody was paying attention to the graffiti,” she wrote. “Second, if I wanted to be petty, I would’ve posted a lot of memes last week. I KEEP TELLIN YALL TO LEAVE ME THE F**K ALONE!! If I’m saying I’m not on that time, DON’T MAKE ME GET ON THAT TIME. Unrist yourself!!”

The controversy has not only fueled discussions about the appropriateness of the setting but also the extreme scrutiny public figures face regarding their personal decisions and the management of their public image.