PASADENA, Calif. — Being on set with Cardi B is exactly what you’d expect. There’s her favorite crushed ice from Chick-fil-A, a dramatic, head-to-toe matching outfit and a healthy amount of curse words spilling out from the famously unfiltered star whenever she messes up her lines.
The 33-year-old “I Like It” singer is immaculately put together as she poses with cans of Zevia: Her dark hair is in an elaborate updo with soft face-framing strands. Her sky-high stilettos, custom-made structured romper and inch-long nails all match the signature teal color of the soda cans.
She readily admits to one of her look’s flaws: a supposedly bad nail that she attempts to hide as she poses with a can of cola, a megawatt smile spread across her face.
The shoot is all about the Grammy-winner’s signature brutal honesty. Her first national campaign as Zevia’s brand ambassador and a shareholder, launching July 21, stars Cardi as a “real talk interpreter” translating conversational subtext into cutting zingers in two commercials. While fans might have seen and sampled the brand’s “zero fake” sodas on her Little Miss Drama tour earlier this year, this is her most visible effort with the brand yet.
Cardi B stars in Zevia’s “real talk interpreter” national campaign launching July 21, 2026. She sips Creamy Root Beer while decoding a guidance counselor meeting in this video.
“This is just how I am,” she says about her candidness. “I can’t tell you like why – I’ve always been like this. I was born like this.” But “I do care what people think sometimes, [and] that’s terrible,” she confesses.
Speaking exclusively with USA TODAY, Cardi B gets real about how she stays “health conscious” despite not being “the best healthy eater,” her pet peeves (she’s “learned my lesson” when it comes to grocery deliveries), hoping she’s not “a bad mom” and being savvier than people give her credit for.
See Cardi B’s most memorable looks and performances
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Cardi B has made a career off of being unapologetically herself from her start as a breakout star on “Love & Hip Hop: New York” through her Grammy-winning career of today. With hit songs from “I Like It” to “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B has become one of the most successful female rappers on the new age.
Scroll through for some of Cardi B’s best moments, fashion looks and performances throughout the years, starting here as she attends the Messika spring/summer 2025 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Sept. 26, 2024, in Paris.
(Jacopo M. Raule, Getty Images for Messika)Cardi B feels underestimated: ‘I don’t think people know how savvy I am’
When people think of Cardi, the Grammy-winning rapper’s Billboard No. 1 hit with Megan Thee Stallion, “WAP,” might come to mind – or her showstopping, over-the-top fashion; unfiltered livestreams; occasional beef with other celebrities or her high-profile romantic relationships.
Though the “Love & Hip Hop: New York” alumna has been outspoken about the hard work that’s gone into becoming a self-made woman and her passion for building her own businesses, “I don’t think people know how savvy I am,” she says.
“I think they just see Cardi, and she’s loud and she’s just [herself], but I’m very into securing my future,” Cardi adds. “It’s not even about me anymore. It’s about my kids; I’ve got four kids.”
Cardi B stars in Zevia’s “real talk interpreter” national campaign launching July 21, 2026. She poses with the Creamy Root Beer and Orange Creamsicle flavors.
That’s one of the reasons she teamed up with Zevia and its “zero sugar, zero calorie, naturally sweetened beverages” for a two-year partnership in March. Beyond serving as a brand ambassador who collaborates on new products, she’s also an equity owner, meaning she has a financial stake in the company. “Real talk interpreter,” releasing on streaming TV and social media, will also be visible in displays at select stores.
“To me, being a shareholder means that everything that I invest in, everything that I’m a partner with, I want it to be big,” Cardi says. “I don’t want to be part of something that [does] small projects. I want something where I go to every store and I see my product there, because that’s what really makes me feel good.”
“I always wanted to win,” Cardi declares. “Before I had kids, I always wanted to be successful.”
Cardi B stars in Zevia’s “real talk interpreter” national campaign launching July 21, 2026. She sips Creamy Root Beer while decoding a guidance counselor meeting in this video.
Yes, Cardi B does her own grocery shopping. But here’s her pet peeve
She mentions being “so excited” when she sees her music at Target and having a “wow” moment seeing Zevia at Whole Foods. So does that mean Cardi does her own grocery shopping? Yes, but certain foods must be selected in-person and with discernment.
“I don’t buy poultry through the app, and I don’t like buying a lot of vegetables and fruits from the app because [delivery shoppers] don’t be picking the freshest things like you would,” she says. “I like going [to grocery stores] myself sometimes, but just for small things.”
“Sometimes I get my order and go, ‘Look at this sweet potato. It’s dying, it’s rotten,'” Cardi jokes. “Yo, put a little bit of love in picking my order.”
What being ‘more health conscious’ looks like
The superstar is “a little bit more athletic now” and is also “noticing what certain foods and certain beverages do to my body,” including her weight and energy levels.
Cardi B promotes Zevia’s zero-sugar sodas during her new “real talk interpreter” campaign for the company in a May 2026 shoot.
“I’m a little bit older, and now I’m being more careful in the things that I consume,” Cardi says. “I just told somebody the other day: I’m not the best healthy eater. I might eat 10 pieces of chicken wings, but I told them I balance it out.”
“I’m not one of those people that always ate healthy – like I’m just a super healthy freak girl,” she clarifies. “I feel like as soon as you hit your 30s you need to be more health conscious.”
The superstar is not immune to mom guilt
As much as Cardi is aware of her health habits, she is also keen on looking out for her children, who are between 8 months and 8 years old.
“I want to give them healthier candies [and] healthier sodas, because I just feel like, ‘Damn, am I doing something bad when I get them something that is really not healthy?'” she confesses. “It makes me feel like I’m a bad person, like a bad mom, but it’s like … everything in moderation.”
Cardi B and her oldest daughter, Kulture Kiari Cephus, attend the Alexander Wang show during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 12, 2025, in New York City.
Despite killing it in ‘Hustlers’ and ‘SNL,’ Cardi isn’t keen on acting
Cardi’s on-set ad libs can make an entire crew crack up behind the cameras. Her charisma has been undeniable in standout appearances on “Saturday Night Live” and 2019’s “Hustlers.”
But she’s not focusing on her acting career at the moment. “I’m not really too heavy on that,” she says, adding, “I’m not a set girl, for real. I really don’t like sitting on set all day.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cardi B gets real about ambition, pet peeves, mom guilt and vices | Exclusive