Cardi B is speaking out after Karmelo Anthony was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of Texas high school student Austin Metcalf.

The Grammy-winning rapper delivered a furious reaction on X after learning Anthony’s sentence, arguing that the teenager was being used to send a message.

“Wow! Just freakin wow! DISGUSTING… This is not justice, this is trying to make an example!!!” Cardi B wrote.

Cardi did not stop with her own statement. She also reposted messages supporting Anthony, including posts arguing that he deserved a better outcome and accusing critics of attempting to destroy his reputation.

Anthony, now 19, was found guilty of murder on June 9 in connection with Metcalf’s death during a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas.

Both teenagers were 17 when the deadly confrontation happened on April 2, 2025. Anthony had reportedly taken shelter beneath another school’s team tent during a rain delay when an argument broke out between him and Metcalf.

Anthony stabbed Metcalf in the chest during the confrontation. Metcalf was later pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital.

Anthony admitted to the stabbing but pleaded not guilty, maintaining that he acted in self-defense. His attorneys argued that he made a split-second decision because he felt threatened during the confrontation.

Prosecutors rejected that account and described the stabbing as a surprise attack. After hearing testimony and reviewing evidence from the scene, the jury found Anthony guilty and later sentenced him to 35 years behind bars.

The Karmelo Anthony case had already attracted national attention long before Cardi B entered the conversation.

Anthony’s supporters frequently pointed to his age, lack of a prior criminal record and claim of self-defense while arguing that the murder prosecution was excessive. A GiveSendGo fundraiser created for his legal defense also gained widespread attention online.

The racial makeup of the jury became another major source of controversy. None of the jurors selected for the trial were Black, prompting protesters and civil rights advocates to question whether Anthony had received a fair hearing.

Demonstrators supporting both Anthony and the Metcalf family gathered outside the courthouse as the verdict and sentence were announced.

Metcalf’s relatives, meanwhile, maintained that the case was about accountability for the death of their 17-year-old son and brother. The family delivered emotional victim-impact statements after Anthony’s sentence was revealed.

Cardi B’s comments have now pushed the case deeper into the hip-hop and pop-culture conversation. Her post quickly spread across social media, with users fiercely debating whether the 35-year sentence represented justice for Metcalf or an excessively harsh punishment for Anthony.