Cardi B isn’t letting questions about her pen game slide. The Bronx superstar pushed back after Joe Budden raised eyebrows on a recent episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, where he praised her sharp wordplay on “Magnet” but suggested she might not have written it herself. 

“Whoever is writing these lines, he is smoking that sh–,” Budden remarked, delivering what many interpreted as a compliment laced with doubt.

That comment was enough to trigger a fiery response from Cardi, who took to X on September 20 with receipts. Posting a July 2024 clip of her phone playing a voice note, she doubled down on her authorship of the Am I The Drama? track, which includes pointed shots at City Girls’ rapper JT.

 “Whoever wrote it?? Nah that’s CARDI,” she wrote. “This is my process… I’m a natural roaster and you already know I’m quick with the mouth so I’ll be coming up with lines and I’ll record myself then lay it later. Don’t give me backhanded 10’s cuz I’ll always be able to prove my shit.”

Cardi’s defense outlined her creative method: jotting lines as they come, capturing them in voice notes, and refining them into full verses. She emphasized that her sharp tongue and battle-ready wit drive her writing, rejecting the suggestion that ghostwriters crafted the barbs on “Magnet.” 

Cardi B Takes Full Credit For “Magnet” Lyrics

The post wasn’t just a rebuttal to Budden’s commentary but a broader declaration of independence. Cardi made it clear that her lyrical firepower is her own.

In hip-hop, few accusations sting more than claims of not writing one’s own raps. For Cardi, whose career has often been dogged by speculation about collaborators and co-writers, the timing matters. 

Am I The Drama? has fueled headlines for its blunt disses and raw delivery, and “Magnet” adds to her catalog of confrontational anthems. By posting her behind-the-scenes process, she’s seeking to undercut critics before they can dent her credibility.

The exchange highlights a familiar tension between artists and commentators in rap: authenticity as currency. Budden may have been tipping his hat, but Cardi heard a backhanded compliment. 

Her response was swift, confident, and, most importantly, documented—proof that when challenged, she’s ready to back up every bar.