Things have been going great for Bronx-born rapper Cardi B. She was the musical guest on last night's Saturday Night Live, hosted by "Black Panther" star Chadwick Boseman.
It seems a New York magazine cover last November got it right when it proclaimed she was made to be this famous.
On her way to membership in music and pop culture's top echelon, Cardi B's career has covered an astoundingly wide spectrum.
After losing her job as a teenage employee at an Amish supermarket in Manhattan, she turned to stripping. Then came a different kind of exposure as a regular cast member from 2015 to 2017 on the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York.
She signed her first major recording deal with Atlantic Records in February 2017. Her debut single for the label, "Bodak Yellow," made it to the top of Billboard's Hot 100 chart.
So, justifiably, Cardi B has been living large (and I'm not just talking about her just-confirmed pregnancy). Good for her.
But she's also discovered that fame and fortune have a downside. One big problem is that the Internal Revenue Service wants some of the fortune.
A fiery tax query: That's something Cardi B recently learned, based on her Instagram rant about her tax bill. I'm guessing she posted shortly after meeting with her accountant.
In her characteristic no-filter way, she let loose for just under a minute with some NSFW questions about our tax system.
She's upset, according to her social media video, that Uncle Sam is taking 40 percent of her money, which is this week's By the Numbers amount.
And she definitely wants to know what he's been doing with it.
UPDATE: Sorry, but Cardi B deleted her Instagram account on May 12, 2018,
after an online spat with Azealia Banks so the tax rant link no longer works. 🙁
But you can see it as part of this CBSN YouTube report.
The good news for CardiB's fans, however, is that she had second thoughts
and is back on Instagram with a new account (sadly sans the IRS post).
"When you donate to a kid in a foreign country, they give you updates of what they're doing with your donation," Cardi B says.
Federal vs. state tax concerns: There does appear to be some confusion, however, on Cardi B's part about federal vs. state and local taxes.
She complains that the 40 percent going to the feds obviously hasn't been spent to clean up the Big Apple's dirty streets or get the rats off of New York subway trains.
While some federal money does find its way to more local jurisdictions, the issues she has with her hometown's upkeep are mainly for the city and state to address.
Still, she makes her case.
And at some point in our lives, we've all been at least a little bit Cardi B, wanting to know what Uncle Sam is doing with our tax money.
You also might find these items of interest:
- 'Hamilton' star Daveed Diggs talks about his taxes
- Colbert gives 'Debt in Herre' tax advice to rapper Nelly
- What the Beatles' (and our) 'Taxman' does and doesn't collect
Lmaris
Apparently she’s unaware that the budgets of every taxing entity are publicly available, too. Do they mail her stories to make her feel good like some charities to? No. But if she thinks the funds she donates to charities go directly and only to the pictured children, she’s delusional.