Cardi B is once again going viral — not for her music this time, but for her honest reaction to New York City’s rent crisis. During a recent Instagram Live, the “Am I The Drama?” creator was left stunned after discovering how expensive it’s become to rent in her hometown, The Bronx.
“I’m trying to help my friend get an apartment,” Cardi said in the now-viral clip reposted by RapHouseTV. “I go on StreetEasy and I start looking… why rent so expensive? It’s the most freaking cheapest borough!”
Wearing a colorful headwrap and her signature oversized hoops, Cardi scrolled through listings in disbelief, realizing that one-bedroom apartments in the Bronx now start around $1,500 per month.
At first, she playfully dismissed her friend’s complaints, saying,
“Here you go with your excuses now!”
But moments later, she couldn’t hide her shock.
“How the heck a one-bedroom apartment is like $1,500 in the Bronx?” she exclaimed, leaning into the camera in frustration.
The short clip quickly gained traction online, racking up tens of thousands of views on X (formerly Twitter) and sparking a renewed conversation about New York’s housing affordability crisis.
Cardi’s reaction hits close to home — literally. She grew up in Highbridge, a working-class Bronx neighborhood where her family once paid $12 a month for Section 8 housing. Today, rents in that same area average $1,900–$2,000 for a one-bedroom, nearly 20% higher than last year, according to recent data.
Even neighborhoods once known for affordability, like Fordham and Soundview, now range between $1,600 and $1,800, while luxury developments near Yankee Stadium continue to push locals out.
For Cardi, who now owns multimillion-dollar homes in Atlanta and Los Angeles, the reality check was personal. Just days earlier, she publicly apologized for promoting her new album during such tough times, admitting,
“I forgot how broke everybody is. The rent is so freaking high.”
Her candid reaction underscores what many New Yorkers already know — The Bronx isn’t “cheap” anymore, and the rent crisis is hitting everyone hard.
