In a new interview with i-D Magazine, Cardi B says she spent $100,000 on her “WAP” video — and that was just the budget for COVID-19 testing for the cast and crew. The gamble has paid off, with “WAP” becoming the most-talked-about video of the year. As Cardi tells i-D’s Roisin Lanigan, “The conservatives keep talking and the numbers keep going up.”
The interview also led Cardi to talk about what led to the creation of her OnlyFans account. “I created an OnlyFans because people are stuck at home more, but also just because I wanted to be on an app where I can talk only and specifically to my fans,” she admits. It’s an explanation that makes sense; social media helped Cardi become the star she is today, but it’s also landed her in hot water and beef with conservative commentators.
“There are certain times — a lot of times, actually — when I just want to talk to my fans, you know, my people,” she continues. “I don’t wanna go live on Instagram or say my opinions on social media because people twist it and spin it. There are certain things I want only my fans to see, you know? I wanna be more open about my insecurities, what makes me happy and what makes me sad. I wanna be extremely transparent. And I’m not even talking about my body, you know, just my life. I feel like not everybody deserves to see it.”
The latter half of the interview is given to the creation of the “WAP” video, addressing the challenges of shooting a blockbuster video in a pandemic. “We had to spend $100,000 dollars just on testing. Everybody on the shoot had to get tested for coronavirus. We had a tiger and a leopard there, but we didn’t film with them in there because of safety and because of the pandemic. We spliced those scenes together.”
Read the full interview here.