‘You guys are being really harsh on this girl’

Cardi B has come to the defence of South African-born artist Tyla, who faced an intense backlash and racism after her moment at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards.

Tyla, who won the MTV Video Music Award 2024 for Best Afrobeats, asked Lil Nas X to hold her trophy due to its weight, but it sparked speculation as many assumed she was asking singer Halle Bailey to hold it.

YouTuber Armon Wiggins labeled Tyla “uppity African”, a term that implies arrogance and entitlement. Rapper Joe Budden shared the same sentiment about the singer when reacting to the comment on his podcast.

Tyla and Halle address ‘awkward’ moment on the VMA’s stage

Cardi B went live on X Space, calling out social media trolls for bullying someone “who barely speaks” and was merely confident.

“Tyla wishes she never won that f**ken VMA award. If she would have known it would have brought so much hate, so much criticism. I bet she was crying that night,” she said.

“The internet is insufferable. The way you guys will take a picture, take a moment, and make it something that it’s not, and just crush somebody. You all criticise so much that you are not even noticing you are bullying this girl, and if you f**ken think about it, you don’t really have a motherf**ken reason to, but you are making this a reason because you don’t like her for whatever reason. You all are doing too much.”

“I feel like you guys are being really harsh on this girl. She is f**ken 22 years old. Also, do you know how hard it is to be a person from a different country trying to adjust in America?”