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The rapper Cardi B found herself embroiled in a sharp back-and-forth with a social media personality this week after he brought up her social class, upbringing and skin color. A quarrel soon erupted over colorism and questions of who gets to profit over which public affect.<\/p>\n
Of course, Cardi B isn\u2019t one to shrink from a fight, and it wasn\u2019t even the first spat this year<\/a> to involve a high-profile rapper. But the argument is notable for the difficult issues it broached having to do with colorism<\/a> \u2014 the way prejudice can vary based on someone\u2019s skin color, and how it can lead to stereotypes and differential policing of behavior.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what we know about the charged exchange.<\/p>\n In a TikTok video posted on Wednesday, the social media personality Raymonte Cole lamented being labeled too \u201cghetto\u201d to be marketable while someone like Cardi B is still able to claim social status and brand deals.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat bothers me as a Black person, you guys say that I\u2019m ghetto,\u201d Mr. Cole said in the video, which he has since removed from his TikTok account. But Cardi B, he said, \u201cis very, very ghetto. She\u2019s way ghettoer than me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The rapper fired back on X on Wednesday afternoon. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy because when I became famous people said I\u2019m ghetto,\u201d she wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cTo this day no matter what I accomplished I still get called a stripper all because I\u2019m from the ghetto,\u201d she continued. \u201cPeople misinterpret me because apparently I\u2019m LOUD AND GHETTO.\u201d<\/p>\n In his original video, Mr. Cole, who is known online simply as Raymonte, invoked colorism, claiming that Cardi B was perceived as being more \u201cmarketable\u201d because she has lighter skin and isn\u2019t subject to the same prejudices as darker-skinned people with similar upbringings.<\/p>\n Drawing a comparison between himself and Cardi B, Mr. Cole said that the rapper \u201cdoesn\u2019t look like a visible Black woman to me.\u201d \u201cThis is no shade, this is just literally a fact,\u201d he said, \u201cand we\u2019re speaking on colorism and all those type of things.\u201d<\/p>\n The two exchanged remarks in quoted messages on Wednesday. In an interview on Thursday, Mr. Cole reiterated that while he meant no offense to Cardi, he stood by his comment. \u201cGirl why are you getting so mad at the comparison,\u201d he wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m saying you are successful and reached heights that visibly Black people ghetto people have a harder time reaching.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Cardi B, whose representatives did not reply to requests for comment, responded by saying that reaching her current level of success required a great deal of code switching \u2014 altering the way she spoke and presented herself to suit her audience.<\/p>\n \u201cI had to change the way I talk, the way I act and the way I respond and how I present myself,\u201d she wrote<\/a>. \u201cYou ignoring all of that and playing the color card.\u201d<\/p>\n The online conversation about the hurdles and stereotypes faced by Black media personalities was a response to an article published on the Essence website that looked at a recent birthday trip<\/a> he took with other Black influencers to make the point that brands chronically overlook Black influencers.<\/p>\n However, Mr. Cole felt it was hypocritical that the publication would use his birthday trip as an example of being overlooked in the media when it had treated him similarly.<\/p>\n \u201cOmg essence thank you for the article but this is kind of hypocritical,\u201d he wrote on X on Tuesday.<\/a> \u201cYou all have invited numerous other influencers to events never me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mr. Cole is a 24-year-old social media personality from Minneapolis who has over two million followers on TikTok<\/a> and 345,000 followers on Instagram<\/a>. His posts mostly involve posed pictures of different looks and styles or videos of him approaching random people on the street.<\/p>\n In the interview, Mr. Cole tried to clarify his earlier remarks on TikTok. \u201cAnyone can be ghetto,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s only bad when it\u2019s with darker-skinned Black people or people that are visibly Black.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Cole\u2019s career as an influencer began in earnest after the death of his brother in 2021. He said one of his first TikTok videos, which showed a memorial for his brother held in their house, really resonated with users.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a very happy outlet for me,\u201d he said of the platform.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat happened?<\/h2>\n
Did it get personal?<\/h2>\n
How is Essence magazine involved?<\/h2>\n