Cardi B believes Karmelo Anthony’s 35-year prison sentence has more to do with the color of his skin than the evidence. The Grammy-winning rapper reacted after Anthony, a Black teenager from Texas, was found guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf, 17, during a high school track meet in Frisco in 2025. Anthony, who was also 17 at the time, was sentenced to 35 years in prison. This case highlights troubling patterns within our mass incarceration system that disproportionately affect Black youth.
“It is a race thing, I’m pretty sure,” Cardi said during an X Spaces session. “Especially in Texas. This happens a lot in Texas.” She believes the case would have unfolded entirely differently if Anthony had been White. “If Anthony was White and he was surrounded by a bunch of Black football players, the case would have went extremely different,” she said. For deeper insight into racial inequities in the justice system, check out mass incarceration resources and analyses.
The confrontation began during a rain delay, when Anthony stood under a tent used by Metcalf’s team. Prosecutors said Anthony provoked the confrontation before stabbing Metcalf once in the chest, but Anthony’s defense team argued that he acted in self-defense. The jury found Anthony guilty of murder after about three hours of deliberations.
“I sure learned something from this,” said Cardi B. “I learned to tell my sons do not argue with no White boys. ‘Cause, baby, ain’t no law protecting us if something goes down with them. That’s what I learned from this case.” Her frustration reflects a broader conversation about fairness and protection—or lack thereof—for young Black men navigating spaces where they’re vastly outnumbered or misunderstood.
Anthony has filed an appeal following the conviction. His attorney, Mike Howard, said the defense believes “there are several important issues for the appellate courts to consider.” An appeal is the next part of the legal process and a right afforded every American, Howard explained. The fight for justice continues as the case moves forward.
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