Cardi B says filming her “AH HA” video on New York City streets turned into a seven-figure production, leaving her convinced she paid far more than expected for permits and logistics.
Cardi B is questioning the costs behind her new “AH HA” music video after revealing that the Brooklyn shoot ended up being much more expensive than she planned. Speaking with fans during an X Spaces session on Aug. 27, the Bronx rapper said she originally envisioned a simple New York summer visual with a budget closer to $250,000, but claimed the final price climbed to more than $1 million. Complex reported on her comments ahead of the video’s release.
“I don’t understand how the fuck this music video was expensive,” Cardi said, explaining that she expected the street-based concept to be relatively straightforward. She added that the finished video does not necessarily look like a million-dollar production to her, which made the total cost even more frustrating.
Cardi then turned her attention to the permitting process, saying she believes she was charged more because of her celebrity. “I feel like they overcharged me for permits,” she said, while also claiming that about 40 NYPD officers were present during filming and that the heavy police presence made the shoot more difficult.
New York City’s published film-permit rules add an important wrinkle to that claim. The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment currently lists a $500 application fee for each consecutive 14-day period of a project and says police assistance arranged through the Film Office is provided at no charge. Cardi has not publicly released an itemized production budget, so it remains unclear which expenses beyond the city permit itself drove the video above $1 million.
The two-day shoot ultimately took place in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, rather than on the smaller Bronx block Cardi said she initially wanted. She also complained about the large number of people who gathered around the production, saying she prefers closed sets and did not enjoy the process enough to want to repeat it in a similarly public setting.
Even with the production headaches, Cardi said she believes the finished “AH HA” visual is “great.” The video arrived Aug. 28 with a high-energy Brooklyn street concept and a cameo from Kash Doll, giving the single a full-scale visual rollout while Cardi makes clear that future shoots may come with tighter control over location, crowds and logistics.
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