"Bodak Yellow" record breaker Cardi B was one of the most highly anticipated performers at the 2018 Grammys. So why, instead of bopping along to her Bruno Mars collaboration "Finesse," were people calling out Cardi for lip syncing?
Maybe it's because people are just a bunch of haters.
From the minute Cardi strutted across the stage, people predicted a show-stopping number. The rapper was decked out in an amazing '90s-inspired getup — complete with a denim bucket hat and smiley-face patches — because, as always, Cardi is living the life we all wish we could. She then proceeded to dance up a storm, and looked like she was having more fun than the group of dancers at her back.
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Honestly, we should all feel blessed to be here.
However, some fans noticed that Cardi's mouth wasn't quite in line with her "Finesse" vocal track. Was it their TV? Did their livestream have a delay? Ultimately, some people decided that Cardi was, indeed, lip syncing at her first Grammys performance ever... and many were unhappy about it.
"A little concerned there's no close-ups of Cardi B because she's lip syncing," wrote one Twitter user.
A little concerned there's no close-ups of Cardi B because she's lip syncing. ? #Grammys
— Thea Neal (@nealthea) January 29, 2018
Another made this bold claim:
"Cardi B doesn’t even know the lyrics she’s lip syncing right now."
Cardi B doesn’t even know the lyrics she’s lip syncing right now #Grammys2018
— Rob “ex MCR stan” Fashano (@heythereitsrob) January 29, 2018
A third used a GIF of Nicki Minaj to throw some shade:
"Cardi B lip syncing her verse..."
Cardi B lip syncing her verse pic.twitter.com/RsAI91ldyO
— Nancy Kerrigan Stan (@lindsayl0whan) January 29, 2018
Loooook guys. I get it. The Grammys are all about musical performances, so, yeah — lip syncing might seem like a no-no. However, as a reminder, it's not exactly easy to put on a full-out spectacle of a performance and also belt out vocals. It's just not. The Grammys may be a celebration of music, but they're also a show — so maybe, this is the move that simply worked best for Cardi given everything else she was tasked with doing.
Not that the "Bartier Cardi" rapper cares — she's just happy to be here. Despite not winning either of the Grammys she was nominated for (Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance), she shared a video of herself freaking out about a congratulatory note from Bono that she received backstage at the event.
We know that Cardi can rap. Whether she was truly lip syncing or not (again, we don't know for sure either way) maybe we can just... let this one go? She still brought it on stage, and has a long career ahead of her to perform sans backing track.