Does Cardi B Write Her Own Raps? Fans Think Nicki Minaj Called Her Milli Vanilli on 'Transformer'

The beef between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B is alive and well, ladies and gentlemen. As the feud between the rappers continued, Minaj brought attention to their drama in a song in which she took jabs at Cardi for her apparent inability to pen her own raps.

Minaj dropped an otherworldly verse on Future's latest track "Transformer," which appears on his newly released joint album with Juice WRLD, called WRLD on Drugs. The verse seemingly suggested Cardi was a "goner" with "karma" in her midst.

"Four-four four albums in, pull a milli' for a show / While these bitches is servin' Milli Vanilli on the low / Spent my money on some dope, where my money envelope?Transform into a Billy 'cause I really am the goat (Really am the goat)," Minaj began, "Transformer, I just popped a transformer / Master bathroom, two jacuzzis and a sauna / They ain't warn her / Now she out here facin' karma / Had a chance, but got at me now she's a goner."

For those unaware, the Milli Vanilli comparison is a significant diss, due to the musical duo's infamous rise and fall within the music industry. In 1990, the disgraced pop group—comprised of Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan—had their Grammy Award for Best New Artist rescinded after it was revealed that they hadn't sung on their hit tracks. Brad Howell and John Davis were the group's real crooners. Milli Vanilli's former backup singer Jodie Rocco said on Oprah: Where Are They Now? in 2014 how "it was a common practice for producers, singers, musicians, record companies to have somebody else fronting a very good vocalist."

With this reference in mind, one fan pointed out via Twitter how Minaj's "Milli Vanilli line went over alot of y'all heads" as Cardi has been accused of using a ghostwriter to help pen multiple tracks on her debut record Invasion of Privacy. Pardison Fontaine, a rapper and songwriter, was alleged to be the person behind many of Cardi's raps.

"Nicki called that girl Milli Vanilli and I had to do some research. This R&B group was singing songs that weren't theirs and got their Grammy revoked for being frauds," another fan tweeted. "Revoke that girl career cuz bloody shoes don't write her raps. We hear you Nicki."

Another fan suggested, "when Nicki can out rap you AND your ghostwriter y'all really ain't s— in these streets."

That Milli Vanilli line went over alot of y'all heads #Transformer pic.twitter.com/gw1ffuXKdF

— ✨💁🏽‍♀️Stay Woke💁🏽‍♀️✨ (@Teenagenature) October 19, 2018

Nicki called that girl Milli Vanilli and I had to do some research. This R&B group was singing songs that weren’t theirs and got their Grammy revoked for being frauds. Revoke that girl career cuz bloody shoes don’t write her raps. We hear you Nicki. 😩😭🗣#Transformer pic.twitter.com/PitSaPpiYl

— ✍🏾🗣 (@writtenbytruth) October 19, 2018

The 26-year-old "Bodak Yellow" rapper has addressed ghostwriting claims before. In speaking with The Breakfast Club in April, she rejected all allegations that suggested Fontaine was her ghostwriter.

"Pardison is not a ghostwriter, he's a co-writer," Cardi said at the time. "I credit him in all the songs that he been in... I'm putting my people on, you know what I'm saying? Atlantic noticed his working skills, they notice his music, they signed him too."

When it comes to dissing Cardi, Minaj has been on a roll as of late. After Cardi attacked the 35-year-old "Chun-Li" hitmaker at September's Harper's Bazaar ICONS party during New York Fashion Week (NYFW), Minaj slammed Cardi via her Queen Radio show and through a line of merchandise.

Rumors of Cardi working on a diss track about Minaj surfaced via TMZ on Wednesday, but she denied the news outlet's claims in a since-deleted Instagram post. The picture showed a text exchange between a TMZ employee and with Cardi's representative, who wrote: "Cardi has no song coming out about Nicki. So that's false and your story would be false also. Cardi's next single isn't even a feature and the content is about money lol. Your sources are liars."

Nicki Minaj Seemingly Shades Cardi B for Using Ghostwriter
Rapper Nicki Minaj seemingly slammed Cardi B on Future's "Transformer" for using a ghostwriter. Here, Minaj is pictured attending the Oscar De La Renta front Row during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at Spring... Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for NYFW: The Shows

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Dory Jackson is a New York-based entertainment journalist from Maryland. She graduated from Randolph-Macon College—in May 2016—with a focus in Communication ... Read more

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