Cardi B had some things to get off her chest after she noticed a racist comment criticizing her and other women in hip hop for having Hermès Birkin bags.
The “WAP” rapper shared a four-minute video to Instagram Monday in response to a tweet that called out “female rappers” by questioning the authenticity of their Birkin bags and saying the women “depreciate the value” of the purse.
A Birkin is a designer purse made by Hermès and named after British actress Jane Birkin. They are notoriously exclusive and are difficult to come by. They retail for anywhere between $9,000 to $500,000.
Cardi B, 28, set the record straight and noted she picked up four Birkin bags from the Hermès store Monday, adding to her collection of more than 20 bags: So “don’t even try it,” she warned.
She addressed the comment’s double standard: “Why is it that y’all asking female rappers if they could get a bag from the Hermès store? Y’all don’t do this to these white celebrities… So why is it that y’all gotta be asking us?”
“We start trends and when y’all think that we devalue (expletive). No, we add value,” Cardi B said. “And another thing is why when a Black girl, why when a Hispanic girl have a bag y’all have to question it? ‘Oh, is it fake?’ or ‘She’s a scammer.’ “
She went on to say that even if you don’t have the means to purchase a designer bag, it’s OK.
“Let me tell you something, if you’re a regular girl, you don’t got to break your neck to have a Birkin. A Birkin don’t make you,” Cardi B said adding that people don’t have to wear labels to “keep up.”
Related: Cardi B responds to criticism about gifting 2-year-old daughter Kulture with an $8,000 bag
Offset also took to Instagram to share a photo with Cardi with a table full of Birkins.
“Stop letting people on the internet tell ya’ll (sic) who can get a Birkin at the store, and how many Birkin’s you can get,” he captioned the post. “Black people having access to luxury shouldn’t be a debate…by the way hip hop starts the trends!”
The Grammy-winning artist went on to refute the idea that she and other rappers depreciate the value of the luxury purse, noting that on the contrary, fashion houses have gained popularity because of mentions in songs. Cardi has referenced both Christian Louboutin and Balenciaga in her songs “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It.”
“Actually, we add value because … when we mention brands in hip hop, that (expletive) go up,” she said referencing how her single caused an increase in Christian Louboutin after she mentioned the red bottom shoes. Cardi B’s lyrics created a 217% spike in searches for the designer shoe, according to a Business of Fashion report in November 2017.
She added that when her on again, off again husband Offset’s group Migos released their 2013 song “Versace,” she saw everybody with “Versace shirts, Versace glasses, Versace pants, Versace socks.”
Birkin bags have become a topic of discussion on social media after rapper Saweetie crashed boyfriend Quavo’s Instagram Live Oct. 22 and said “If he not getting you a Birkin, if he not paying for your bills, then throw that (expletive) back to the streets.”
The “My Type” rapper’s comments went viral and had folks debating about the designer bag.
This isn’t the first time Birkin bags have been in the limelight in hip hop. In July, Saweetie’s reaction to receiving two Birkin bags from Quavo for her birthday went viral. That same month, Cardi B defended buying her 2-year-old daughter Kulture a Birkin bag for her birthday after an onslaught of criticism. In 2017, rapper Drake revealed he has been buying the designer handbag for years for “the woman I end up with” and fans got to take a peek at the collection in April when the artist was featured in Architectural Digest. In 2018, Kylie Jenner gave fans a tour of her “purse closet” and noted her favorite row was the “Hermés row” which she called a “great investment.”
More: Cardi B says she has ‘not shed not one tear’ over divorce from rapper Offset
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cardi B and her Birkins: Rapper says Hermes bag criticism is racist
