Why did Cardi B turn down Super Bowl Halftime Show?

Cardi B revealed she previously turned down an offer to perform on the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

The A-list rapper, who entered the music scene in 2017 with her song Bodak Yellow, revealed to Billboard that she turned down the offer to headline the Super Bowl halftime show, suggesting the opportunity came too soon.

"What year I got asked to do the Super Bowl? I'm not sure if it was 2019, 2018, and I denied. But I'm glad," she said.

Although she passed on the opportunity, Cardi B said she is open to performing at the event in the future. 

“I feel like soon," she said. "If I get to do it, I’m going to have more hits, I’m going to be more experienced, and Imma eat that up.”

The interview comes ahead of her much-anticipated album, Am I the Drama?, which is set to be released on Sept. 19. The project marks her second studio album, following a six-year wait since her first release, Invasion of Privacy, in 2018. 

The album features 23 tracks, including her hits, 2020’s WAP and 2021’s Up.

Cardi B explained that their inclusion was at the insistence of her fans. “My fans always say, ‘You better not leave them off the album,’” she told Billboard.  

“They keep reminding me that I didn’t submit WAP for the Grammys. I’m not always going to submit my music, but people complain like it’s all about numbers. These two songs won’t count toward first-week sales, so what’s the issue? You’re still getting 21 new songs—WAP and Up are just at the end. So why are people crying about it?”

Just days ago, Cardi B was also cleared of assault charges following a lawsuit filed by security guard Emani Ellis over a 2018 incident outside a medical office during the rapper’s pregnancy checkup.