Over the weekend, Cardi B was honored with the Spirit of Detroit award from the Detroit City Council. In a statement to reporters, Detroit City Council president Brenda Jones said the award had been requested by a local radio station in honor of Cardi's "outstanding achievement" as the top woman in rap. According to Detroit's own Royce Da 5'9", however, the award doesn't really make any sense.
For Royce, who won the award himself in 2016, it's important that the city remember its credos. "Detroit, when y'all gonna cut it out with the goofy shit?" he said Monday. "When are we gonna stop being so politically correct? This is not a politically correct business. This record industry does not care about Detroit. Where you think the no fly zone came from? Where you think Detroit vs Everybody came from? If we don't put action behind those words, they're just letters on a shirt. Nothing more than letters on a shirt."
Royce added that he loves Cardi B "just like everybody else," but she "don't know shit about the spirit of Detroit." See Royce's full comments in the Instagram clip above.
Jones told the Detroit Free Press Monday that the Spirit of Detroit Award can be requested for any "person, event, or organization" being honored for an "achievement or service" to Detroit. Mary Sheffield, another Detroit City Council member, did not support Cardi B getting the honor.
However, Cardi B is far from the first artist not from Detroit to receive the award. Bow Wow, Dru Hill, and Xscape are among previous honorees without immediate ties to the city.
