“It ruins your spirit”: Stefon Diggs’ beau Cardi B explains why challenging Mariah Carey’s Christmas legacy isn’t worth it

Cardi B loves Christmas but not enough to challenge its undisputed queen. Known for turning the holidays into a spectacle of towering trees, lavish décor, and family-centered celebrations, the rapper has fully embraced the season in her personal life. Fans have long wondered why that festive energy hasn’t translated into a Cardi B Christmas single.

The answer, as she’s explained before, is rooted in respect, self-awareness, and a rare understanding of cultural legacy. For Cardi, Christmas music isn’t just another genre, it’s sacred territory best left untouched.

Cardi B’s respect for Mariah Carey shows strategic restraint, not hesitation

Back in 2019, Cardi B was firmly in her commercial prime, making her decision to turn down a Christmas song opportunity all the more notable. While promoting a holiday campaign, she acknowledged that the idea was on the table, but quickly dismissed it.

“I feel like those aren’t things you should touch,” she said at the time. “You should leave it to Mariah Carey and leave it there,” she continued. “You don’t want to mess it up. You don’t want to put a Christmas song out and it don’t do good and it ruins your spirit. Listen, I am not playing with Christmas.”

That mindset reveals more than humility, it highlights business instincts many artists lack. Holiday music is unforgiving. Unlike standard releases, Christmas songs live or die by tradition, nostalgia, and repeat listening. Few songs illustrate that better than Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You, which continues to dominate charts more than three decades after its release.

In 2025, the song tied the record for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, logging 19 nonconsecutive weeks at the top. Carey also became the first artist to score No. 1 hits across four decades, a feat that cements her holiday reign as untouchable.

Rather than chasing a risky seasonal hit, Cardi has chosen to celebrate Christmas on her own terms, through family, visuals, and viral moments, without diluting her brand or competing with a cultural institution. In an industry obsessed with constant output, sometimes knowing when not to release music is the smartest move of all.

Also Read: Stefon Diggs’ beau Cardi B becomes one of the highest-paid OnlyFans creators with a reported $9 million per month

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