Back in the height of the 2020 pandemic lockdown, when boredom bred bizarre creativity across the globe, a Dublin street artist decided to immortalize Cardi B on a gritty wall in Tallaght—and the rapper’s over-the-top reaction turned it into instant viral gold. Emmalene Blake, a local muralist known for her bold pop culture portraits, unveiled a massive sketch of the Bronx bombshell in full “WAP” era glory: signature nails, fierce gaze, and that unmissable attitude splashed in vibrant hues. Cardi, scrolling her feed from quarantine, spotted the tribute and lost it—reposting the image to her 170 million Instagram followers with a barrage of laughing emojis and the caption: “Ireland take quarantine serious 😂😂😂😭😭😭.” What started as a simple fan homage exploded into a lighthearted frenzy, racking up millions of views and reminding fans that even superstars aren’t above a good, gut-busting roast of their own image. Five years later, as Cardi preps for her third child and a rumored 2026 album drop, this moment stands as a hilarious snapshot of her unfiltered wit amid isolation’s absurdity.

The mural’s creation was pure lockdown serendipity. Blake, 32 at the time and a fixture in Dublin’s street art scene, launched a social media challenge in early April 2020: Fans could nominate celebs for free murals, with proceeds from a raffle benefiting the Irish Red Cross’s COVID-19 fund. Cardi topped the list—fitting for a star whose “WAP” video with Megan Thee Stallion had just dropped, sparking global debates and 93 million YouTube views in its first week. “She was everywhere—fierce, unapologetic, the perfect quarantine queen,” Blake told The Irish Times in a 2020 follow-up. Armed with spray cans and a projector, Blake transformed a drab Tallaght side street into Cardi central: Oversized lips, arched brows, and that iconic offset verse pose, all under a banner reading “Bodak Yellow in the Blue.” Local kids gathered to watch, turning the spot into an impromptu block party—masks optional, cheers mandatory.

Cardi’s discovery hit like a plot twist. Holed up in her Los Angeles mansion with Offset and daughter Kulture, the 27-year-old rapper (at the time) was deep in TikTok scrolls when the image popped up via a fan tag. Her Stories post—regramming Blake’s photo with the caption and a string of crying-laughing emojis—ignited the internet. “I was dying—it’s me, but like if I got lost in a cartoon,” Cardi later explained on her Instagram Live, mimicking the mural’s exaggerated features with exaggerated faces of her own. The reaction snowballed: Her post garnered 10 million views in hours, spawning memes like “Cardi vs. Quarantine Art” and Photoshop edits of the mural “invading” other landmarks. Blake, overwhelmed, responded with her own repost: “When your muse roasts you back—dream come true!” The exchange humanized Cardi amid her rising empire—Fenty deals, Grammy wins, and tabloid drama—showing a star who could laugh at herself when the mirror (or wall) got too real.

The backlash? Minimal, but telling. Some purists on Twitter (now X) griped that the sketch “butchered” her likeness—”Too cartoonish for the queen!” one viral thread complained, hitting 50,000 likes before Cardi clapped back in comments: “Y’all mad at a WALL? Chill, it’s funny AF.” Others praised it as peak pandemic escapism, with #CardiMural trending in Ireland for days. Blake’s raffle raised €5,000 for charity, and she parlayed the buzz into commissions from Dua Lipa and Stormzy fans. For Cardi, it was a brief breather from heavier headlines—like her 2020 offset reconciliation drama and Offset’s cheating allegations—that year. “Quarantine got us all trippin’,” she quipped in a Vogue interview months later, crediting fan art for keeping her grounded.

Fast-forward to 2025, and the mural’s legacy lingers like a faded tattoo. Tallaght locals maintain it as a tourist draw—selfie central for Irish Cardi stans—while Blake, now a full-time muralist with exhibits in London, cites it as her breakout. “Cardi’s reaction made me—proof that art’s power is in the response,” she told SPIN 1038 in a recent retrospective. Cardi herself nodded to it during her April 2025 Coachella set, flashing the image on screens mid-“Bodak Yellow” with a wink: “Shoutout to my Irish twin—still takin’ it serious!” The moment resurfaced on TikTok amid her pregnancy announcements, with 2 million views of edits syncing her laugh to the song’s beat.

Critics might dismiss it as fleeting fluff, but in Cardi’s world—where beefs with Nicki Minaj and courtroom battles over lawsuits dominate headlines—this lighthearted “shock” was a masterclass in self-deprecation. It humanized a billionaire (net worth $80 million via Fenty) who’s weathered public scrutiny since her 2017 breakout, proving she can own the joke before it owns her. As she told The New York Times in 2024, “I laugh loudest at myself—keeps the haters quiet.” Blake’s sketch, now a cultural footnote, underscores fan-art’s chaotic joy: Sometimes, the best tribute is the one that makes the icon snort-laugh on Stories.

In a feed clogged with filters and feuds, Cardi’s reaction to that Tallaght wall remains a gem—shocking in its sincerity, hilarious in its honesty. Ireland did take quarantine serious, and Cardi? She took it to heart, turning a doodle into a duet of delight.