Cardi B is confronting the reality of soaring rent in New York City and issuing an unfiltered apology for promoting her album while helping a friend find an apartment in the Bronx.
The Grammy-winning rapper vented on air about her skepticism about the current housing market, noting that home prices in what she calls “the cheapest boroughs” are too high. She told the audience, “I don’t know how people survive. I’m sorry for all of you buying my album, this is the economy right now, rent is so high and crazy in the Bronx, wherever it is. I’m sorry.”
Her comments come as rent prices in New York City continue to rise. According to Realtor.com, the city’s median rent reached $3,397 in the first quarter of 2025, a 5.6% increase from the previous year. StreetEasy data also shows a 2.1% increase between October 2023 and October 2024.
The housing crunch isn’t limited to New York. SmartAsset reports that Newark, N.J.West West has the highest rent increase in the country at 8.1%, followed by Cleveland, Ohio, with a 7.25% increase, and Columbia, South Carolina, with a 6.69% increase. The national median rent is currently $1,394, but will decrease slightly by 0.4% in September 2025.
In New York State, rent stabilization policies limit rent increases for lease renewals from October 2023 to September 2024 to a range of 2.75% to 3.20%. However, these rules do not apply to all apartments, leaving many tenants facing market-driven spikes.
Cardi B has previously spoken out about economic injustice and donated $100,000 to her former high school, but she’s also made no secret of her criticism of political leaders. “I hate the fact that I know that if you spoke to the Trump administration right now about the cost of living, they would say ‘Yeah, suck it up,'” she said during the live broadcast.
She also floated relief ideas, including expanding housing vouchers and making food assistance programs more accessible. Cady noted how quickly rental conditions can deteriorate. “How on earth do you survive?” she asked, adding: “You all have to sell your pussy, dick and balls.”
The rapper clarified that her apology was not out of ignorance, but rather a failure to appreciate the seriousness of the issue. “It’s not that I wasn’t aware, it was that I wasn’t paying attention,” she said.
Her comments come as concerns about housing affordability grow nationwide, especially in major cities where rent growth has outpaced wage growth for years.
According to Realtor.com, the median rent in New York City reached $3,397 in the first quarter of 2025.
