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Cardi B ripped into the NYPD after claiming public filming costs pushed her upcoming “AH HA” video close to $1 million.
The Bronx rapper addressed the bill during an X Spaces rant after listeners compared the new visual with her lavish 2020 “WAP” video.
“Why the videos are not looking like money and like ‘WAP’ and like this and like that? Yo, not everything’s gonna look like that.”
Cardi said permits, police and crowd problems made the New York City shoot so stressful that she would avoid public locations next time.
“I will never again do shit in public settings. But let me tell you something. The way the NYPD overly charged me, like bro, this video is damn near $1 million because oh ‘well, you need it’s for Cardi B like 40,000 cops. I mean, 40 cops. 40 cops,” she fumed.
“You need permit for this. You need permit for that. Like, goddamn, I know other artists is not paying that. Just so it could be a fucking disaster because they couldn’t even fucking handle the fans,” Cardi B said of the cops.
Her claim conflicts with rules laid out by The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, which promise free police assistance, parking and access to most outdoor sites. The city’s film application fee is $500 per 14 days, far below Cardi’s claimed budget.
Cardi has not shared a full budget detailing who was paid, so her claim that the NYPD overcharged remains unconfirmed.
The shoot was also disrupted, as AllHipHop reported after police issued a summons to a man who interfered with filming.
Cardi’s anger about the charges comes right after a city report found 62% of New Yorkers cannot cover basic costs, including housing, food, health care, transportation and taxes.
Mamdani wants a 2% tax hike on income over $1 million and a corporate-rate increase from 7.25% to 11.5%. Both hikes need state approval, but Governor Kathy Hochul has opposed new taxes during her election year.
As for Cardi, “AH HA” has already provided her with her 30th top-10 hit on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart.
