Lady Gaga and Cardi B’s newfound friendship just took another big step. On Tuesday, the Joanne artist took to Twitter to defend Cardi B, who has faced backlash ever since her historic win at the 2019 Grammys. Gaga shared a photo of the two of them chatting and sharing a laugh at the ceremony and praised the rapper for her craft. “It is so hard to be a woman in this industry,” Gaga Tweeted. “What it takes, how hard we work through the disrespectful challenges, just to make art. I love you Cardi.” She continued, “You deserve your awards. Let’s celebrate her fight. Lift her up and honour her. She’s brave.” The duo of winners became instant BFFs at the show when Cardi went up to the ‘A Star Is Born’ actress and totally fan-girled. From the looks of it, the feeling was completely mutual. In 2016, Cardi Tweeted about the Mother Monster’s influence on her. “When I was a teenager, Gaga changed my life,” she wrote. “She inspired me to be myself and be different.” It only took two years, but Gaga replied, “Love you girl” to that exact Tweet. The “Bodak Yellow” rapper because the first female solo artist to win the Best Rap Album category, which stirred some frustration and a mix of other emotions from music fans. Cardi beat Travis Scott, Pusha T, Nipsey Hussle and Mac Millerin that same genre. After posting a number of “thank you” videos, Cardi uploaded then deleted an expletive-laden clip defending herself and her hard work on Invasion of Privacy. “You know what? It’s not my style for people to put other people down to uplift somebody else. That’s not my style and that’s not what I’m with and I don’t support that, however I’ve been taking a lot today,” Cardi told the camera. She wore a black sweatshirt and had her hair down in a braid. “I’m seeing a lot today and I saw a lot of last night and I’m sick of this. I work hard for my album,” she said. She discussed the difference in reactions from this year to last when she got nominated for “Bodak Yellow” but didn’t take home any awards for the song. She asserted to the camera, “Everybody was like, ‘Cardi got snubbed! Cardi got snubbed!’ Now this year’s a problem? My album went two times platinum on every chart that there was, my album was always top 10, #1 album as well!” Cardi got pregnant with her baby Kulture Kiari Cephus, who was born on July 10, while recording and creating the album. “I worked, locked myself in the studio for three months and then went to sleep in my own bed sometimes for four days straight, pregnant,” she said about it. “Some songs couldn’t even get on the album because my nose was so stuffy from my pregnancy.” A huge number of rappers and musicians praised the 26-year-old. Chance the Rapper called her victory “overly deserved.” Jay Cole chimed in and wrote, “I don’t ever want to be propped up by tearing somebody else down. Seeing Cardi B win a Grammy makes me feel like I won.” Cardi re-Tweeted many of these messages. “I listen to my album and I cry because I know the hell I went through doing the album which is always a bittersweet memory,” she typed alongside Chance’s screenshot. “Thank you everyone that supported me and listened. I’m thankful and grateful and again thank you to all the artists that gave me a feature,” she wrote. Gaga has spoken out before about being a woman in the music world. She discussed the subject during her Best Original Song for a Motion Picture acceptance speech at the 2019 Golden Globes, “As a woman in music it is really hard to be taken seriously,” she told the crowd at the Beverly Hilton Hotel at one point. According to the 32-year-old, her award-winning song “Shallow” is all about communication and having your voice heard. She said during her Critics’ Choice Awards speech, “This song is a conversation between men and women. Asking each other questions about life and a desire for more depth of the shallowness of a modern era.” Published in Daily Times, February 15th 2019.