Cardi B says she held back on releasing the music video for her BIA diss track “Pretty & Petty” out of respect for her rival’s album rollout. During an Instagram Live on Thursday night, the rapper explained that she didn’t want to come across as a bully on the day BIA released her new record, Bianca.

“I know how stressful it is to put an album out,” Cardi said during the stream. “And I know how messed up you can feel when you’re doing that. If I drop a video for ‘Pretty & Petty’ this week or today, it would feel like bullying, and I don’t want that energy.”

Instead, Cardi said she plans to release the video the following week, choosing another visual to post in the meantime. “I’mma be nice to you because it’s your album day,” she added. “I don’t want to add to your stress. I’m not that bad person people think I am.”

BIA, who is directly named on “Pretty & Petty,” dropped Bianca on Friday. The album features collaborations with Becky G (“Hard Way,” which samples Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie”), as well as Young Miko and Ty Dolla $ign.

Cardi’s restraint comes amid an ongoing tension between the two artists that escalated earlier this year. On “Pretty & Petty,” Cardi directly references BIA with pointed lines: “Name five BIA songs, gun pointin’ to your head,” and “They only book you when they can’t afford Coi .” The track’s release immediately reignited speculation about the pair’s long-running feud.

According to Cardi, the conflict began when BIA accused her of imitating her style, an accusation that the Grammy-winning rapper says she initially ignored. However, she decided to respond after BIA allegedly mentioned her children. “She did her little diss and it was trash,” Cardi said in a previous appearance on The Breakfast Club. “I could’ve left it alone, but everything on social media is going to be seen. When my kids grow up one day and they see that you mentioned them, they’re going to ask me, ‘So what did you do?’ I’m not going to tell them I stayed quiet.”

Cardi also spoke during her Instagram Live about the moral reasoning behind delaying the video, referencing her belief in karma and accountability. “When I bully, God takes from me,” she said. “If she’s not doing anything to me right now, I’m not going to make things worse on a day I know she’s already under pressure. I don’t want that on me.”

The decision suggests a more calculated approach to conflict for the rapper, who has often been labeled as confrontational online. By postponing the “Pretty & Petty” rollout, Cardi framed her move as an act of restraint and professionalism, an acknowledgment of how closely timing and perception matter in the digital age.

Whether the eventual video release will reignite the feud remains to be seen, but for now, Cardi seems intent on keeping her energy focused elsewhere. “I know people expect me to be messy,” she told fans, “but sometimes, you just let the music speak for itself.”