Cardi B Says 'AH HA' Music Video Cost Over $1 Million, Blames NYPD Permit Prices
Cardi B says the music video for her single "AH HA" cost more than $1 million to shoot, and she places part of the blame on the New York Police Department. Speaking during an X Spaces session on Thursday, August 27, the rapper said she believes the NYPD overcharged her for filming permits because of her A-list celebrity status, according to Billboard.
Cardi B said she originally wanted to shoot the video in the Bronx, the borough where she grew up, but was steered toward Sunset Park in Brooklyn instead. She did not specify by whom. Once on location, the production faced an imposing police presence: about 40 NYPD officers were on hand during the shoot, which Cardi B said made filming difficult.
The experience has pushed her away from outdoor shoots altogether. She told the X Spaces audience that the "AH HA" shoot was the last time she will film a music video in an open, public setting.
"AH HA" is Cardi B's first single of 2026, released on July 31. Its music video arrived on Friday, August 28 — the day after her X Spaces remarks. The song debuted at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, the weekly chart that ranks the most-consumed songs in the United States across streaming, radio and sales. It later sat at No. 40 on the same chart.
A seven-figure budget for a single music video places "AH HA" in the upper tier of production spending for the format, where costs typically range from tens of thousands to a few hundred thousand dollars for major-label releases. Cardi B did not break down the full $1 million-plus total, so how much of that figure went specifically to NYPD permits versus crew, equipment, location fees and other standard production costs remains unclear.
The NYPD does not publicly itemise permit fees by applicant, and Cardi B's claim that her celebrity status inflated those costs has not been independently verified. The Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, which coordinates film and television permits across New York City, had not publicly responded to her comments as of August 29.
For an artist who has built her brand on New York specificity — Bronx references, local production, a direct line to the streets that shaped her — the decision to walk away from public-location shoots marks a practical retreat. Whether future Cardi B videos move indoors, onto soundstages or out of the city entirely is not yet known. What is certain is that the "AH HA" video, now public, carries a cost that goes well beyond its runtime.
