Cardi B has invited criticism upon herself yet again, and unlike all the other times, forgiveness and justification may not come all that easy. Cardi’s revelation came during a long-winded Instagram Live session this weekend, wherein she claimed she has drugged her sexual partners and robbed them in the past.

The ‘Bodak Yellow’ singer has used the term "street b***h” to describe herself in the past, but that is no excuse for this behavior, especially in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Now, people are calling out her terrible behavior, and the hashtag #SurvivingCardi is trending where people are asking for legal action to be taken against her. “Drugging someone is a class B felony and is punishable by imprisonment up to 10 years,” pointed out one critic.

As problematic as this is, it’s not the first time Cardi has proved not be worthy of the worship her fans worldwide give her. With regards to her music, even Cardi herself has claimed to not care about bars and lyrics, saying all she cares about is being on the top and getting them coins. This is evident.

While the honesty is respectable, that and perseverance, is the only aspect of her award-winning artistic journey that is commendable. As an artist, she is objectively terrible, especially as a rapper who clearly has no respect for hip-hop:

"Honestly, don’t give a f**k ‘bout who ain’t fond of me
Dropped two mixtapes in six months, what b***h working as hard as me?
I don’t bother with these h**s, don’t let these h**s bother me
They see pictures, they say, 'Goals,' b***h, I’m who they tryna be"

Seriously? What kind of lyrical genius could write this? Rhyming "me" with "me", another "me" and "be," only for 'Bodak Yellow' to be one of the most rewarded and popular raps of recent times, what would Tupac and Biggie wonder?

It would be bad enough for her to write these lyrics, but worse yet, she used a ghost-writer to do so. Cardi was first accused of stealing the lyrics of another artist when a resurfaced video of an artist called Pardison Fontaine showed him rapping the lyrics of ‘Be Careful’ back in 2014. Later, it was publicized that she uses ghost writers, after which she claimed Fontaine is her co-writer.

"I enjoy doing music," she added. "Lately it's been a little so-so... People have made it for me like it's a job ... People want to put me to these standards that I never asked for ... I never called myself the greatest lyrical person ... People just expect so much from me."

Rap as an art form rose from the artists' need to put into words and music what he or she was feeling and experiencing in the most authentic manner. The fact that Cardi is refusing to write her music because writing "makes it seem like a job" is reason enough to establish her as a faux rapper and her position as a Billboard chart-topper debatable. However, the lazy rhymes, non-existing bars and borrowed words, embellished only by catchy rhythms has led to the skyrocketing of her career.

That is, perhaps, owed to two things; people have a soft corner for the underdog who went from stripper poles to Billboard charts, but more importantly, there is an air of superiority with which we love to laugh at the more-often-than-not ineligible English spoken by the US-born and raised artist. Bardi's popularity, therefore, is far from a win for the civil rights movement. And, for some reason, many women seem to confuse her utter lack of respect for everything with empowerment.

Being guilty of "writing" lazy and uninspiring lyrics are not the only crimes committed by Bardi. She has proved to be transphobic, having recently posted a blatantly transphobic meme on her Facebook page, in which a screenshot from the old animation show 'Ed, Edd n Eddy' is accompanied with the caption "I hope nobody see this tr***y leave my house."

In 2017 a video of her resurfaced in which she spoke about how she would trick her cheating boyfriend into having a threesome with someone trans. This expletive-laden rant is possibly one of the worst things to watch in a world where we are still pursuing to incorporate inclusivity into our daily lives.

Beyond this, Cardi has been accused of putting the hit out to badly injure two bartenders working at Angels Strip Club in Queens, because they allegedly slept with her husband Offset. Many members of her posse that came face to face with them on August 29, 2018, were accused of throwing bottles and chairs at them and injuring them pretty badly. While the rapper personally did not take part in the attack, she yelled, "I'm blood I'll f**k you b*****s up!" according to TMZ.

This kind of anti-female, violent behavior would not come as surprising for anyone who has been following Cardi's journey since her time on the infamous 'Love and Hip Hop.' She famously threw her shoes at a woman, whose boyfriend she was messing around with.

After achieving fame, Cardi claimed she would no longer engage in this type of behavior, which she re-stated when she became a mother, but it does not seem like there is going to be a definitive change in her behavior or attitude in the near future.

While it is completely up to Cardi to live life the way she chooses to, she should be held accountable for the crimes that she commits and expected to make reparations, just like everyone else. And, while we ensure that happens, it would be best to not put her on a pedestal that she herself is uncomfortable on, and definitely does not deserve.  While her tenacity is impressive, she is no icon of female empowerment, nor is she a beacon of hope for the civil rights movement. She is just a girl, with an infectious personality with minimal musical talent.