The Powerful Way Cardi B Is Aiding Fire Victims In Her Hometown

Cardi B is giving back to the Bronx in a huge way. The New York native, 29, is no stranger to philanthropy and being a charitable human being. Despite her raucous and brash persona, the "WAP" rapper has used her vast earnings to help those in need amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the rapper actually found herself on the receiving end of backlash when she asked Twitter if she should shell out $88,000 for a purse in December 2020 — but turned the moment into a lesson for all involved. 

In response to a now-deleted tweet, the rapper shared an Elle article detailing her $1 million donation to coronavirus relief. The outlet notes that Cardi teamed up with Fashion Nova to donate $1,000 hourly for over a month to those who requested assistance. "Sometimes you gotta m***********g ask for help," the rapper wrote (via Elle). In a follow-up tweet, she added that she "also donated a million dollars to fans thru cashapp 2 months" prior.

On top of that, Cardi even donated 20,000 meal supplements to New York City medical staffers at the onset of the pandemic, per TMZ. She "also ... got seven uncles [and] three aunts on my daddy side, nine aunts and three uncles on my momma side a whole bunch of cousins I had to help cause of the pandemic," per Twitter. Now, Cardi B is taking her philanthropic attitudes one step further.

On January 9, New York City bore witness to one of the most devastating apartment fires in recent history. The tragedy occurred in the Bronx when a high-rise apartment complex caught fire due to a faulty space heater — killing 17 people, eight of which were children, according to USA Today. With over 60 people injured, New York City Mayor Eric Adams called the tragedy "one of the worst fires that we have witnessed during modern times," per USA Today.

Now, over a week following the tragedy, rapper and New York City native Cardi B is stepping up to do her part — offering to pay for the funeral expenses for the lives lost in the apartment fire. "I'm extremely proud to be from the Bronx and I have lots of family and friends who live and work there still," Cardi said in a statement, per ET. "So, when I heard about the fire and all of the victims, I knew I needed to do something to help."

"I cannot begin to imagine the pain and anguish that the families of the victims are experiencing, but I hope that not having to worry about the costs associated with burying their loved ones will help as they move forward and heal," she continued. "I send my prayers and condolences to everyone affected by this horrific tragedy."