Lady Gaga has offered a bold defence of Cardi B, after the rapper faced backlash for triumphing at the Grammys last weekend.

The ‘Bodak Yellow’ rapper was previously forced to respond to critics on Instagram, after it was claimed that she didn’t deserve to win Best Rap Album for her acclaimed debut ‘Invasion of Privacy’. This came after Ariana Grande praised Cardi’s victory, but said that the late Mac Miller not being honoured with a Grammy was ‘literal bullshit‘.

While Cardi has since deleted her Instagram in the wake of the backlash, she’s now found a staunch defender in Lady Gaga.

Posting on Twitter, the singer shared a photo of the pair together and offered a few words of wisdom.

“It is so hard to be a woman in this industry. What it takes, how hard we work through the disrespectful challenges, just to make art,” wrote Gaga.

“I love you Cardi. You deserve your awards. Let’s celebrate her fight. Lift her up & honor her. She is brave.”

In her original response to critics, Cardi said she had “worked her ass off” for the award.

“I’ve been taking a lot of shit today. I’m seeing a lot of bullshit today and I saw a lot of shit  last night, and I’m sick of this shit. I work hard for my motherfucking album,” she said.

Cardi B’s victory also marked the first time a female solo artist won  the award for Best Rap Album. She was nominated for another four awards but did not win any of them. Cardi also performed at the ceremony, playing her latest single ‘Money’.