Cardi B, "Be Careful..."

"Be Careful" — Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar.

"Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.” —Otto von Bismarck

"Be Careful" by Cardi B is actually my favorite song by her. It has a catchy beat, nice melody (lifted from Lauryn Hill), and topical lyrics. "Said that you was working, but you're out here chasing culo." The song just... speaks to me. Her relatability has been a major part of Cardi's appeal to the hip-hop scene, and increasingly popular culture at large. If she's not careful though, the words she is saying will also be her downfall. The latest controversy she's involved in is a case of when keeping it real goes wrong... she's stated in the past that she's, "drugged and robbed men." A recent threat by Cardi for legal action against two bloggers may have prompted the internet to wade through the murky waters of the web to find old footage of Cardi readily admitting to these crimes. We all know the internet is undefeated like Floyd...

Do you know what you're doing?

Cardi was lucky enough to dodge charges stemming from her brew (haha) with Nicki Minaj at fashion week. If her luck holds up, she may be able to dodge another bump in the road. According to NY Courts, the statute of limitations for assault, which drugging someone would fall under, is one year from act (Civil), two to five years depending on the facts (Criminal), and for robbery, it is five years.

The statute would, however, not be very helpful if she decides to pursue the lawsuit she has filed against online personalities Latasha K and Starmarie Ebony Jones. According to The Source Magazine, Cardi has filed suit claiming, "Tasha K posted a video last year, saying Cardi’s baby might be born with intellectual disabilities, and Tasha K posted a video in September accusing Cardi of doing molly, cocaine, and engaging in prostitution." As per their original source, TMZ.

“Just a Grammy nominated prostitute running around spreading her herpes,” allegedly said Jones. Drug allegations would be hard to prove in court, but not impossible. With the burden of proof lessened in civil court, Cardi would have a tough fight. Especially with this video resurfacing where she admitted to acting as a prostitute to lure men for robbery. To prove her case, Cardi would have to go to lengths she might not be comfortable with including drug and disease testing. "Do you know what you're doing?" Wise words being spoken...

It's not a threat, it's a warning...

You can't fight everybody. You can try. It's almost guaranteed that your winning percentage will be low though... the internet is literally EVERYBODY. In a world where rappers' words are putting them in prison, every person that is on the way to stardom should know to scrub their social media. You're not EVERYBODY anymore. You're somebody. It's a whole other body... once you're out in front of the pack you become an object... of adoration, inspiration, curiosity... and hate. Be careful.