William Newbegin
From gang member to stripper, from stripper to social media icon and now, in her turn from social media icon to chart-topping musical sensation, Cardi B’s career takes yet another sharp turn.
Known for her wild, brash and outspoken personality, Cardi B grew a steady fan base over the years with social media profiles that featured everything from body-positive selfies to humorous anecdotes about her life as a stripper.
While her professions and dabblings may have changed, it seems that as a person, Cardi B has remained very much the same, keeping her faith along for the ride as she began her flirtation with the music industry.
Of course, Cardi’s true breakthrough into popular music came through her hit 2017 single “Bodak Yellow,” a song inspired by Kodak Black’s “No Flocking.” Though the song lacked originality, Cardi’s unabashed braggadocio on the fairly standard trap banger set her status as an artist with credible ability on the mic.
I mean, really — who couldn’t walk away from “Bodak Yellow” without that memorable hook stuck in their head?
It was when I heard it that I became interested in the newcomer’s musical inclinations.
“Bodak Yellow” is the first single from a solo female rapper to top the Billboard Hot 100 since Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” in 1998. I find this unprecedented and surprising, especially considering the field of successful female rappers between those points, such as Trina and Nicki Minaj.
With the success of this single, as well as others that impressed me, such as “Be Careful” and “Drip (feat. Migos),” there was no conceivable way I could ignore the Bronx MC’s forthcoming LP.
Suffice to say, I am thoroughly impressed with “Invasion of Privacy,” Cardi’s commercial debut on Atlantic Records.
Just like “Bodak Yellow,” “Invasion of Privacy” sees Cardi B employing staggering amounts of charisma and ferocity as she spits about a bevy of topics, many familiar to popular trap music, like her comeuppance and superior status over others.
Yet I find Cardi B’s take on these subjects to be significantly more interesting than that of many of her contemporaries. Cardi displays a temperament that is much more combative than most in popular hip-hop.
As a strong-willed woman, she offers a fresh perspective about a very male-dominated, often misogynistic rap scene that is rightfully confrontational. She often raps about manipulating the same type of men who have manipulated her.
A great example of this is “I Do (feat. SZA),” in which Cardi — in very explicit fashion, which I will paraphrase — brags about curving and leading on men, as well as only dating them if they are wealthy. Her wordplay in this instance is also exceptionally clever, saying that she leaves “texts on read” and “balls on blue.”
Another great example of clever punchline writing, present throughout “Invasion of Privacy”, comes from “I Like It (feat. Bad Bunny & J. Balvin).”
Cardi raps, “Told that (expletive) I’m sorry though / ‘bout my coins like Mario / Yeah they call me Cardi B I run this (expletive) like Cardio.” Pretty clever, huh?
However, as crafty as her one-liners can be, lyrical themes grow pretty stale on this album. While her perspective as a scrappy female rapper provides some much-needed novelty — especially in regards to trap music — there isn’t much groundbreaking about how and what Cardi raps. It doesn’t help that her flows and the album’s beats are also fairly generic.
However, I don’t want this critique to diminish my positive feelings towards the album. Rather, I think this is a safe, catchy commercial debut that shows Cardi B’s legitimate musical chops.
After all, the hooks on this album are routinely satisfying and earwormy, and her attitude is so entertaining. If Cardi can take some more adventures, both sonically and thematically, I believe she has immense potential.
Cardi B’s career has surprised audiences time and time again, and with “Invasion of Privacy,” she has invaded the public ear all for the better.
RATING: 3/5
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William Newbegin, ’21, is an assistant sports editor and columnist for The Brown and White. He can be reached at [email protected].
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1 Comment
Uhm…ok.