Pardison Fontaine may have helped Cardi B write some of her biggest hits to date, but he feels she would have been a star with or without his help.

In an interview with 360 With Speedy published on Wednesday (December 20), Pardi dubbed his longtime friend a “genius” and noted that she pioneered what ultimately became the style of a lot of influencers and entertainers today.

“Cardi’s a genius, period – on so many levels,” he began. “I say this all the time. She would’ve been a star no matter what she chose to do. She would have been a star. That’s what she is. She really pioneered a lot of the energy that you see on the internet right now.”

He continued: “She’s the first person to grab her phone and really start talking shit into it, unapologetically herself. And her persona is ringing off through the industry – that highly braggadocios, highly talking shit straight ignorant shit. She crafted that from her own iPhone. That’s genius. At a time that we really ain’t have that.”

Pardison Fontaine has co-written Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow,” “I Like It,” “WAP” and “UP,” among others. And while he’s always been adamant that she also contributes to the songs, many people still accuse the Bronx rapper of not writing anything.

Over the summer, Cardi took to Twitter to share her song credits after fans speculated whether she had a hand in the success of her verse on FendiDa Rappa’s “Point Me 2.”

“I WRITE IT ….Come to a studio session,” she wrote, alongside a screenshot highlighting the hits production and songwriting credits.

Despite the receipts, some fans were still not convinced and reminded Cardi of previous claims she had help from Offset and Pardi. “LOL. Remember when you accidentally let it be known that Pardi and Offset writes your raps? Pretty sure someone let you have the credit (laughing emoji),” wrote one user.
“notice how she posted this one because it didnt have pardison fontaine attached to it,” penned another.

However, many others raced to her defense. “You don’t have to explain shii to them boo! We know you write,” said one user in support of the New York native.

“So happy you addressed this i was tired of people saying the complete opposite. It was getting olddd,” added another.