Cardi B confronted the realities of New York City’s rent surge and issued an unfiltered apology for promoting her album while helping a friend who was apartment hunting in the Bronx.
The Grammy-winning rapper took to livestream to vent her disbelief over the current housing market, calling out the steep prices in what she described as “the most f###### cheapest borough.” She told viewers, “I don’t know how people are surviving. I am so sorry for asking y’all to buy my album and this is how the economy is right now, that the rent is so f###### high and crazy in the Bronx, no matter where. I am so sorry.”
Her remarks come as rent prices across New York City continue to climb. According to Realtor.com, the median asking rent in the city hit $3,397 in the first quarter of 2025, marking a 5.6% jump from the year before. Data from StreetEasy also showed a 2.1% increase from October 2023 to October 2024.
The housing crunch isn’t limited to New York. SmartAsset reported that Newark, New Jersey, saw the sharpest rent hike nationwide at 8.1%, followed by Cleveland, Ohio, at 7.25% and Columbia, South Carolina, at 6.69%. The national median rent now sits at $1,394, though it dipped slightly by 0.4% in September 2025.
In New York state, rent stabilization policies have capped increases between 2.75% and 3.20% for lease renewals from October 2023 through September 2024. However, these rules don’t apply to all apartments, leaving many renters exposed to market-driven spikes.
Cardi B, who has previously spoken out about economic injustice and donated $100,000 to her former middle school, didn’t hold back in her criticism of political leaders. “I hate the fact that I know if you was to say something to the Trump administration about the cost of living right now, they’ll be like ‘Yeah, suck it up,’” she said during the livestream.
She also floated ideas for relief, including expanded housing vouchers and easier access to food assistance programs. Cardi pointed out how quickly the rent situation has worsened. “How the f### you m############ surviving?” she asked, adding, “Y’all gonna have to sell p####, dick, and balls.”
The rapper clarified that her apology wasn’t rooted in ignorance but rather a delayed awareness of how severe the issue had become. “It’s not that I don’t realize, it’s that I hadn’t been paying attention,” she said.
Her statements come amid growing national concern over housing affordability, especially in large cities where rent has outpaced wage growth for years.
New York City’s median rent reached $3,397 in Q1 of 2025, according to Realtor.com.
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