Cardi B has defended her use of the word “retarded” following a backlash.

• Read more: Cardi B’s team-up with Megan Thee Stallion is a truly filthy return

The rapper was criticised after referring to an incident in October, when she accidentally posted a nude photo on Instagram and addressed the mistake with a voice memo on Twitter.

“Lord, Lord, why the fuck you have to make me so stupid and retarded? Why? Why, why, why?” she said at the time. “You know what, I’m never going to beat myself up about it.”

Fans were quick to criticise her comments with one saying: “Please don’t use the R word. I love you but my child is disabled and that word really hurts. Makes me cringe.”

Another added: “Should we cancel cardi for the r slur #CardiBIsOverParty”

pic.twitter.com/sMmtEjNfMw

— iamcardib (@iamcardib) October 13, 2020

Now, Speaking in her Billboard‘s Woman of the Year cover story, Cardi hit back at her critics.

“I don’t want to be like, ‘Oh, female artists, we have it hard.’ But we do fucking be having it mad hard!,” she said.

“N—-s be out here doing the most, being disrespectful. Just the other day, I was getting chewed up because I said the R-word. Like, how you gonna cancel me for calling myself retarded?”

She added: “They want you to be Mother Teresa, they want you to put out music, and they want you to look a certain way. It’s like, ‘Y’all gotta chill — I’m just a regular-degular bitch, man.’”

Please don’t use the R word. I love you but my child is disabled and that word really hurts. Makes me cringe.

— Gina (@Nurse2448Gina) October 13, 2020

Should we cancel cardi for the r slur #CardiBIsOverParty

— cole reynolds (@SHUTUPCOLE04) October 14, 2020

the r word ? how do you have fans

— sofia ミ☆ (@LIKENASTYMAGIC) October 13, 2020

Not you saying the r word in 2020… pic.twitter.com/jgtIlRu5y1

— katy // stream wonder✨ (@wonderchanges) October 13, 2020

Last weekend, Cardi was also forced to apologise after she received backlash for hosting over 30 people at a family Thanksgiving dinner.

It came after the rapper posted a series of tweets about the gathering.

Meanwhile, the rapper recently spoke out about female artists wanting to start a “fake beef”.

“When female artists are rising, you don’t have to put one down because the others are rising. Every single time a female rapper comes out, people wanna start fake beef,” Cardi said.

Giving a reason as to why this could be, she added: “Maybe because they don’t see me [with other women] as often as people want to. The thing is, I’m shy – and really shy to reach out to male artists, to be honest with you. That’s why a lot of collabs that I want, I haven’t gotten yet because I’m scared to reach out. I always get a little star-struck. I be thinking I’m corny, even though I’m funny.”