Brace yourselves — Cardi B will be hosting the 2021 American Music Awards Sunday (Nov. 21) live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
The five-time AMA winner is also nominated in three categories this year: favorite female hip hop artist, favorite music video (“Up”), and favorite hip hop song (“Up”). Ahead of her big night, the 29-year-old Cardi Bardi, banging body, spicy mami, hot tamale spoke to Variety about her plans for the show.
“I’m the host, but I feel like the performers and their performances, it’s like their night, you know what I’m saying? Like when you perform, it’s your night. And I’m just going to be myself,” Cardi said. “There are going to be certain things that I read on the teleprompter, but I’m just going to freestyle it because I don’t like feeling like I’m talking like a robot.”
In 2018, Cardi delivered her first performance as a new mom on the AMA stage. She performed “I Like It” alongside Bad Bunny and J. Balvin, and took home two awards. Cardi admits that the organizers put together a “good lineup” this year as she revealed who she’s most excited to see perform. “I’m really excited to see Bad Bunny, Megan [Thee Stallion], Chlöe, Silk Sonic, BTS, Olivia Rodrigo,” she said.
Cardi clearly won’t be the only one excited to see South Korean boy band BTS hit the stage. Apparently, her three-year-old daughter Kulture is a huge fan. “I like BTS a lot, but let me tell you something: My daughter likes BTS a lot a lot,” she said.
Viewers expecting to hear Cardi rib her peers may be disappointed though. The “WAP” rapper said that she’s “not going to crack jokes” on her friends because her “jokes are rude.” “My jokes are the types of jokes I have to make between me and you,” she said. “I can’t make my jokes publicly because then y’all are going to think… I can be rude!”
Watch Cardi host the AMA’s Sunday (Nov. 21) at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.