Category Archives: OPINION

OPINION

Opinion: Was “Press” REALLY A Flop?

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It’s the three year anniversary of the Cardi B song, “Press!”

“Press” was released on May 31, 2019; while the music video had a long wait, of being released on June 26, 2019. The song would end up at No 16, on the Billboard Hot 100 spending about a total of six weeks on the charts. So, with that kind of success for a single song, why do some call “Press” a flop?

Coming off a very successful debut album with, “Invasion of Privacy,” Cardi had took somewhat of a break from music for while. It wasn’t until after the 2019 Grammy’s when Cardi started to release single songs again starting with, “Please Me” (featuring Bruno Mars) which would debut at No. 5 & then peak at No. 3 and was a Top 10 Billboard Hit for both Cardi and Bruno.

After the release of “Please Me,” came “Clout,” which was Offset’s song that featured Cardi, from Offset’s solo album, “Father of 4.” “Clout,” would be the next song released before “Press,” and would show that Cardi’s name does have impact on features, as “Clout,” would debut at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 and would make this a Top 40 hit for both Cardi & Offset. This at the very least showed that Cardi’s name definetly holds weight and has impact on feature songs, and that you will more than likely chart with her on a song.

After the release of “Clout,” came “Press,” for those that don’t know, “Press” by this point, was an unreleased song, that BardiGang wanted as an actual released song. It started out as a viral clip that went around on Instagram in 2018.

So, after the success of some great hits, what happened? Well, even I can admit that maybe the song did come about maybe a year too late. Sometimes you do just need to strike while the iron was hot. The song, would’ve been too good to come out around the time of weird Cardi x Nicki back and forth that was going on around the time. Though, there were fans that didn’t want her to release the song, during that time as it would seem like she was dissing somebody.

Here’s what Cardi had to say about fans calling “Press” a ‘flop’:

“I thought “Press” was fun and it was gangsta, and then because it didn’t perform as good my other songs, people was like, ‘Oh, she’s a flop; oh, she’s dying out. I feel like people are just so tired of me winning. I will look for my name on Twitter, and it’s like hate tweets, hate tweets, hate tweets.”

Cardi in her 2019 Vogue cover interview on ‘mild success’ of “Press”

Now, to be fair to the fans, there was much hype around this song when it was coming out. The viral clip on Instagram made it seemed like it was going to be much more. Personally, I do like the song, but do I think of it as one of Cardi’s best songs? NO!

Do I think it had a good music videos? YES!!! The music video for “Press” did actually save the song for some fans. Some may even call it some of Cardi’s best music videos within her videography as an artist. The thing is, the music video also kind of came a little bit too late. Have to remember, the music video came out almost about a month later! Another thing that was also going on when the time “Press,” released, Cardi was also going through on going court trial, that deal with her fighting charges that she had brawled with two batertenders back in 2018.

The music video did capture what was currently going on in Cardi’s life at the moment, and it was a great music video concept. Many people praised the music video, and it’s still one of her most critically acclaimed music videos still. So far since it’s original release, “Press,” is at over 104 MILLION VIEWS on YouTube!

So, to the question, “was ‘Press’ a flop? Honestly, no! I don’t think that “Press,” was a flop. Did it maybe a get a bit too overhyped? Sure. I would not at all consider “Press,” a failure! It still ended up charting within the Top 20 which was still great for Cardi at the time, not everything is going to be big hit Top 5 hit or a even a BIG No. 1 hit! It’s for now, a certified PLATINUM single by the RIAA, and it still has big YouTube numbers.

For a song to be considered a failure at least to me, has to either not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 at all or even be on the Billboard Bubbling Under chart, (even then you’d still have a chance to still chart). It may have not have been the type of success that some BardiGang were hoping for at the time when it released, but I would still say that “Press” was indeed a HIT and not a flop, maybe you have a different exposition on how a song is counted as a hit, but for now I would consider the song as a success and so should BardiGang!

OPINION

Opinion: Is It Possible that Cardi B is Collabing with Louis Vuitton?

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It is very well known that Cardi has a fashion collaboration with Fashion Nova, a brand that is very well known for making their clothes be easily accessible and affordable for you to be your own fashion icon. Though it seems like Cardi maybe hinting at another fashion brand collab that might come down later in the line.

As of lately, Cardi seems like she might be hinting at a possible collaboration with Louis Vuitton! This kind of speculation all started from a tweet, back in June of last year.

As of this year though, it seems like Cardi has been dropping hints about the possibility of collaborating with Louis Vuitton. Back in May, Cardi has posted this picture on Instagram with her and a pink and blueish Louis Vuitton patterned bag!

As of today on Instagram, Cardi has posted another Louis Vuitton patterned bag, but this time in red and purple. She also has her nails painted in the same red and purple style of the handbag. Cardi has become a fashion icon in terms of female rap, just like someone like Lil’ Kim was before her who was also pretty big in mixing Hip-Hop with the fashion brand world.

So far, we have only seen two of three bags with Cardi the only one left is that we haven’t seen her with is the blue and white patterned bag. It is not far off to say that Cardi could’ve been working with Louis Vuitton this whole entire time, and we are just now seeing some kind of hints that they may more than likely be working together on something.

If not a collab, she could very well be the next new face for the brand, and then an actual collab line might be down the line for later. This could also be a hint for Cardi with her music. If there really is a collab, this could be one of the ways a Louis Vuitton x Cardi B collaboration could get rolled out. Whenever Cardi decides to start rolling out her next album, this could be a way to reveal the new fashion deal. Cardi did say from very early on in her career that she has other fashion brands that wants to work with her that’s not Fashion Nova, it’s very possible that Louis Vuitton could one of those brands that’s been wanting to work with her.

It’s also fun to think that if a collab is really happening and Cardi promotes Louis Vuitton she would almost have to be wearing something from them from while doing music videos, promotion in interviews, or even for tour. Wearing your own stuff especially while being out is a great way to get your brand name out there.

Last year, I made a post about her working with the fashion brand Dior, since she was wearing so much of Dior around the time that I made that particular post. Again, Cardi has mentioned that she’s been offered so many brands to work with. It is possible to get more than one collab line going.

The possibility of a Cardi collab could be very exciting and not to mention very big for not only Cardi but the Hip-Hop world in general. Not since Lil’ Kim we haven’t seen a rapper, more specifially another female cross-over Hip-Hop with the fashion world. It’s looking quite possible that Cardi could be doing just that. With her being at fashion shows, being an ambassador for fashion week from New York to Paris, Cardi’s been taking over the fashion world just like she has in music. We can’t wait to see if this ends up being true!

OPINION

Opinion: Lana Del Rey’s Instagram Post on Women in Today’s Music Industry

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In a lengthy message posted to social media today, Lana Del Rey said she’s “fed up” with being criticized for “glamorizing abuse.” The singer called out artists like Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Cardi B., Camila Cabello, Doja Cat, and others for landing number one hits about “being sexy” and “wearing no clothes.” Del Rey received some backlash for calling out women of color, but the singer later addressed the flak on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAcQPuBJdir/

Lana Del Rey was receiving a lot heat that Friday, as she tried to defend herself that she supposedly “glorifies and glamorizes abuse” is held to different standards compared to other female artists such as Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Cardi B., Kehlani, etc, etc who she also stated that:

“Have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, f—ing, cheating, etc.”

Lana Del Rey via Instagram

While her post did make some points, the reason why a lot of people are upset from this particular post is that most of the women that she listed are all women of color, aside from Ariana Grande. Doja Cat’s “Say So,” was a song that just recently went #1 and the song Doja sings is mostly a love song about wanting her friend to stop “beating ‘round the bush” and confess their love to her.

The most recent #1 hit that actually went #1 as this post went out in the same week was the Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber collab “Stuck with You.” ‘Stuck with You” was really just made for to uplift people by the global lockdown due to the 2020 Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

So, to say that the music that has been successful on the charts as of recently and has been about mostly sex, about Lana’s post is a little bit misleading. All of these women don’t just sing and rap about sex, which is what Lana had implied in her post. Beyonce and N*cki who have big catalogues from their years of being in the industry does sing about relationships but that’s not all they speak on in their music. Kehlani is also another one doesn’t always sing about relationships, and Cardi is also very versatile with the subjects that she speaks on in her own music. Lana is really just generalizing a whole slew of women and their catalogues. Another record that went #1 a couple of years ago being, ‘Bodak Yellow,” wasn’t even at all about sex. ‘Bodak Yellow,’ was really a song about Cardi’s rise to fame, being a boss and practically empowering women to be themselves and not apologizing for it.

Sadly, Lana is doing the same thing to the women she mentioned, as to what these critics are doing to her own music, generalizing them and putting them into a box. I personally don’t think there was much anything about racism in the post, but I can see why some people would take it in that way especially when she said, ” I don’t think Lana should’ve even called out anybody, which already rubbed the fans of the people that she called out in the wrong way, and not standing for her BS. Calling out the people who were of color, (side from Ariana Grande) was really her first mistake with this post. She could’ve made her point with her own music and defended herself without having to bring other people down with her.

Lana would eventually go back and make some more statements from this post. That would tell people to back off and say that this wasn’t about race pretty much, and that she was just trying to defend herself and her music by making a point through her Instagram stories.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAd2lYfpitM/

Personally, I didn’t think it was a recist post, but I can why some people would take it in that way. Lana would also try and defend herself again through her Instagram stories.

Lana Del Rey’s responses to her post on Friday via Instagram stories

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAghpnsJ8Sm/

I think this tweet pretty much sums up just about how I feel about Lana’s post just perfectly.

https://twitter.com/shonfaye/status/1263393209801203712

Lana could’ve possibly had more sympathy from all of this if she didn’t include women of color (sans Ariana) from her post. If she had just let it be just from her point of view, and just defended her ownself, and the music that she makes, then maybe she would’ve gotten this much backlash. The women that she did mentioned in the post, had to practically work almost twice as hard to get to where they are in order to even be noticed and become mainstream, especially for Hip-Hop and R&B female artists. Lana is a very much critically acclaimed artist for the most part, and from what I understand she doesn’t have a #1 hit. Her highest song, peaked at #6 with “Summertime Sadness,” and this literally her only Top 10 hit that she has!

Lana does have great songs, but people mostly know her for her for making great albums than they do her actual single records. If anything, Lana should be grateful that her fans and supporters do indeed love her for having great bodies of work, and not just single records. That should be enough for any artist to have the love for. As proven within these past two weeks, even if your favorite artist say the generic obvious PR line, “I just want my fans to enjoy the music,” just know that knowing most of these artists, they all deep down want to have a number 1 record within their resume. Lana is just another one of those culprits that does not have a #1 record on the notch of her “glorifying abuse” belt.

Also, Lana is apparently dropping an album pretty soon, sometime in September so it’s no coincidence that this post all of a sudden came out. While her Instagram letter from Friday, seemed to come out of nowhere, and maybe a bit out of character, it was also noted that her next two books of poetry will dive deeper into her frustrations with the music industry and the double standards she’s faced. She also reveals at the very end of the letter that she’ll be dropping her seventh studio album on Saturday, September 5th, and to have one book of poetry, ‘Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass,’ but a release date has yet to be finalized.

So, maybe it’s to try and somewhat shine the light on her. You know what they say, even bad publicity can also be good publicity.

OPINION

Opinion: Why “Invasion of Privacy” Won a Grammy Over “AstroWorld?”

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It looks like Travis Scott fans are once again, making controversy over Cardi’s Grammy last year once again. This has been oncurring argument since last February when Cardi won the Grammy for, ‘Best Rap Album,’ for “Invasion of Privacy.” One other album that was also nominated within that category from that year was Travis Scott’s, “AstroWorld.”

This conversation of the fighting for the Grammy also happened back during in the middle of last year in August, when Travis dropped his documentary, “Look Mom I Can Fly.” In the documentary, the rapper went over all of the highs and the lows that happened from his career, but while also recording and producing his Grammy nominated album, “Astroworld.”

On Wednesday of that week, hundreds of people all of a sudden jumped on Twitter to praise Travis Scott’s intimate documentary and expressed their shock that Astroworld didn’t win Best Rap Album at the Grammy’s earlier that year.

Cardi had went and defended herself and her album from that same day! If you remember being on Twitter that day it wasn’t a good day for BardiGang as we had to literally fight off all of a sudden Travis Scott fans.

“Invasion of Privacy” was a very critically acclaimed album, but so was Astroworld. This was probably the toughest category of the night. Even though Travis’ album was critically acclaimed, it has only really won award from the 2018-2019 music award season and that one was the ‘BET Hip-Hop Award Best Album of the Year’ in 2019.

While Cardi’s “Invasion of Privacy” has won many awards during the music award season of 2018-2019, with winning three American Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, and 1 Grammy awards.

Now, I’m not sure of how long “Astroworld” had spent on the Billboard 200, but Cardi’s “Invasion of Privacy” is still on the Billboard 200 charts and has become the most charted female rap album as recently and has spent over 100 weeks on the Billboard 200. As of this week in 2020, Travis Scott’s, “Astroworld” is nowhere to be found on Billboard 200 Album charts while “Invasion of Privacy” is still on Billboard at #82 as of this week. So, it just goes to shows that people are still indeed listening to the project no matter the ‘controversy’ that may be behind it.

People may think that Cardi shouldn’t have won that award and that’ completely fine. Though, fans aren’t allowed to say who deserves to win and who shouldn’t that’s just being harsh. You guys are hounding on these people’s success and for NO REASON! People are still listening to “Invasion of Privacy,” even more so than Astroworld, so if people still thinks Astroworld is the better album, it would still be getting spins, even if it maybe on the low side of Billboard, for a two year old album it would still be an accomplishment. Though the fact that it’s not on Billboard anymore while IOP still is, it honestly says a lot than some fans be making Travis’ album out to be.

While yes, Astroworld was one of the BIG projects to come from 2018, its staying power hasn’t crossed over within the year of 2020. Even Drake’s album “Scorpion” is still on the Billboard 200! Yet, people make out Travis like he’s this amazing artist! Compared to Travis’ other bodies of work, no other project he has done really has gotten as much acclaim as Astroworld, and Travis has been around for since at least 2012. It seems like only recently he’s been becoming one of the biggest artists in music even though he was around for almost 8 years. Cardi was able to get very successful from off her first record, while it took Travis until his fifth album, to become taken somewhat seriously.

Whether you may like the music or not, there are reasons as to why people do like “Invasion of Privacy,” and the same can be said for Astroworld, but I don’t think that it should get caped for as hard as some of Travis fans try to make it out to be. It’s not a life chaning album, (maybe to his fans) but it was a good album for Travis. Though to say it deserved a Grammy, isn’t really saying much. When you can say this for other artists that came out from 2018.

Even when compared to the other categories Travis was nominated in, it was going to be tough for him to get anything anyway. The competition for the Grammy’s in 2018 was pretty stacked! Cardi was going to eventually get a Grammy whether you liked it or not, considering it was going to be more of a moment for her, and was going to be seen as more special. If Travis got one, while yes, it would be him getting his first Grammy, but it would just be “well another male rapper getting a Grammy. BIG WHOP-DEE-DOO!” Cardi getting it was more of a WIN for female Hip-Hop than anything, which made it special compared to Travis getting his first Grammy that’s all his fans would be celebrating, and not the general public, just his fans. So, Cardi’s Grammy win was the special moment for female Hip-Hop in general, while for Travis, it would just be another man getting a Grammy in Hip-Hop.

OPINION

Opinion: Could Cardi Possibly Be Dropping a Mixtape Before CB2?

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Grammy Award Winning Cardi B shocked a lot of critics with her debut LP Invasion of Privacy. The 2018 project won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and has spent 70 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart.

Now, fans are of course patiently waiting for her sophomore set. During a sit down with Big Boy’s Neighborhood, at the Real Street Festival, Cardi was asked about the progress of her next album.

Although she admits she feels the pressure from the success of her last project, she teased a massive record that she’s working on. In a recent interview with Big Boy, she revealed that she’s working on a new album but is also considering dropping a little project ahead of it.

“I’m in single mode, maybe I’m in a ‘put a little project out’ mode, and then I go into album mode,” she said.

Cardi confirming that she might put out a small project before the album

Since this interview, and when this part came up, fans have already started speculating that this could be a hint that she could be dropping a mixtape before the album! When Cardi dropped her original two mixtapes, she wasn’t really taken seriously as artist. Most people were writing off as she was still on Love and Hip-Hop and was going to be another one of those girls that tried to shed that Love and Hip-Hop image and that she won’t amount to anything.

Since, those two mixtapes Cardi has became a much bigger household name in the music industry and even won a Grammy from her debut album! It would be nice to see another installment of the Gangsta Music B*tch era and go back to her mixtape bag. Though, there is also a thing of over-saturation, but I think Cardi is one of those few exceptions where people will drop whenever Cardi puts out music. The Gangsta B*tch Music tapes did do surprisingly well for a new artist like her and especially from a female rapper, but a third mixtape would do way better and more than what the first two did now that she’s a more established and experienced artist.

Personally, I think there is something else dropping before the album and she’s just sitting and waiting on it, do I think it’s a mixtape, possibly but again its really just speculation. Whatever this sophomore era ends up being, Cardi definitely has some surprises up her sleeve. There’s also a collab that she wants to do with a Lil’ Kim sample, and wants four females on it! At this point, fans are just patiently waiting and anticipating new solo-Cardi music and the fans can’t wait for it and see what she does next!

OPINION

Opinion: Could a Cardi x Dior Collab Possibly be Coming?

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Cardi has been becoming the newest fashion girl of the hip-hop industry within these past few years, and being able to cross-over fashion and Hip-Hop like one of her idols Lil’ Kim did when she was at the height of her career. Within these past couple of weeks, Cardi has been throwing around hints that she may be having more fashion collabs along the way, that’s not just Fashion Nova, but is not ready to say anything as of yet.

The first hint of this comes from Twitter back in June, where she replaces the B of her initial name with a V.

The replies don’t really give much, but some BardiGang on Twitter did start speculate that this could be a hint towards an upcoming fashion collabortation, with either Louis Vuitton or with Versace. While, we haven’t seen Cardi wear much from the former, but we have seen Cardi wear Versace pieces before.

  • Cardi B dazzled in native American-print Versace outfit

Cardi also wore a Versace SS18 ensemble covered with Marilyn Monroe’s face. The colorful matching set includes a $1,295 ‘Pop Art’ long sleeve silk shirt and $775 ‘Pop Art’ print leggings. The look is from Versace’s tribute collection that has been getting a lot of love from last year.

  • A Versace SS18 ensemble covered with Marilyn Monroe’s face.

The speculation that it could be either Versace or even Louis Vuitton, is mostly because of the Cardi V hint that came from the tweet. Cardi has also been followed by legendary fashion designer John Galliano on Instagram.

For those of you who don’t keep up with the fashion world, John Galliano is a British fashion designer who was the head designer of French fashion companies Givenchy, Christian Dior, and his own label John Galliano. This follow seems to have happened almost about couple of weeks ago within the beginning of this month. Of course, a follow on Instagram may not mean anything, but it can also mean a lot of things! Cardi really has been becoming a staple to fashion since she’s stepped on the scene. Many big fashion brands do have their eye on her to want to model some of their pieces from fashion and awards shows, and sometimes maybe even performances.

  • Cardi is wearing a vintage Dior outfit by Jonh Galliano. The outfit is a Cherry blossom monogram pink set.

Now, where does Dior come into all of this as to you may ask? Well, this comes from Cardi wearing a vintage Dior outfit on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show from last night. The outfit that she wore was vintage Dior outfit that was designed by none other than, you guessed it, John Galliano, the outfit was a cherry blossom monogram pink set. So, what could all of this add up to eventually?

Personally, I think this is just another hint that maybe we should keep an eye some of the stuff that Cardi could be wearing in the near future. If she wears a lot more Dior later within the rest of this year, then this could mean a fashion collaboration with Cardi and Dior could be in the works or is already being worked on.

Usually, when you see an artist wear one particular brand without announcing anything yet, that usually mean that they are working with that particular brand on an upcoming collaboration. So, maybe this is the start of something bigger coming that we don’t really know about yet, but you know it’s fun to speculate on.

Though, what about the other brands, like Versace and Louis Vuitton? Where do they fit in this puzzle, if that Cardi V. hint was anything to go by. Well, whose to say that there can only just be one fashion collaboration. I personally think that Cardi probably gets called up to work with tons of these fashion brands that again, that we don’t really know about them yet. It’s possible that she could be working with all three brands on something!

Though, I would not be surprised if the first of these possible collaborations that we get out of the gate ends up being a Cardi x Dior fashion collaboration. Don’t be surprised if we get some kind of announcement about Cardi having a collab for Dior and being one of the new fresh faces for them in the near future.

OPINION

Opinion: There Are Other Female Rappers That Don’t Rap About Sex!

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It looks like producer Jermaine Dupri has crawled out from whichever rock he’s been hibernating under to assert his undesired opinion on female rappers.

In an interview with People Now, the iconic rapper and producer updated viewers on the current disposition of cavemen towards female emcees saying, 

“I feel like they’re all rapping about the same thing, I don’t think they’re showing us who’s the best rapper. For me, it’s like strippers rapping.”

Jermaine Dupri on the current state of female rappers

While, yes, Jermaine Dupri did bring out one of the most succussful female rappers from the 90s-early 2000’s era being Da Brat. Da Brat was a rapper who really spitted and talked hard like most of the females did back in the early 90s. It makes you wonder what she thought about Jermaine’s statement, and wished that she would’ve been there to shut his trap!

Apparently, Jermaine may just only be talking about the popular girls who do rap about sex, being Cardi, Nicki, and Megan thee Stallion. We are in a generation of female hip hop where there’s multilple of girls that don’t even rap about the same thing, but they don’t get the same support as the ones listed above. When you’re an artist who have to appeal to everybody, your going to have to talk about your love and sex life. It is one of the more popular topics that people like to talk about in hip-hop!

Once again, our girl Cardi B, having actually been a stripper before rapping, is the most obvious target of Dupri’s comments. She has dominated the charts with her infectious, party tracks Dupri might categorize as “a story about you dancing in the club.”

Cardi responded, as did several other female artists, by condemning Dupri’s comments saying

“It seems like that’s what people wanna hear… When I did ‘Be Careful,’ people was talking mad shit in the beginning… If that’s what people aint trying to hear, then I’m gonna start rapping about my pussy again.”  Money is what makes the world go around. If the money lies in rapping about “p*ssy,” female rappers should rap about it as much as they want.”

Cardi B’s response to Jermaine Dupri

Again, though, there are tons of female rappers currently that don’t even rap about sex or even their relationships with past lovers. Cardi did a live and shouted out other females who don’t rap about sex and it has since given them a bit more recognition.

  • Rapsody
  • Tierra Whack
  • Chika
  • Kamaiyah

Girls like Rapsody, Tierra Whack, Chika, and Kamaiyah had all been shouted out by Cardi in her live, and has all had ralllied behind her statmemts and has since has really been dragging JD for his comments. JD has also since responded again to the backlash, though the response was mostly out of promotion for a new tv show.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz1HGRYJxA0/

Jermaine obviously did most of this out of promotion, but it is still an interesting conversation to have. It’s like when a female raps you have to be more thought provoking compared to there male counterparts. Males in Hip Hop mostly rap about the same thing and no body complains. At the end of the day, women, just like men, are here to make money and rapping about strip-clubs and sex is doing the job. Notably, JD also fails to mention that countless male rappers also make songs about sex and p*ssy.

Again, Jermaine obviously did most of this out of promotion, but it is still an interesting conversation to have. It’s like when a female raps you have to be more thought provoking compared to there male counterparts. Males in Hip Hop mostly rap about the same thing and no body complains! Let’s just call a spade a spade, and sh*ts, the sh*ts on both sides of the coin here!

OPINION

Opinions: Cardi B’s Top 5 Music Videos

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Cardi B just released her music video for “Press” on this Wednesday and it already has made over 17 million views. The Press Music video is already getting critically acclaimed with the concept, direction, and creativity. We are here to look at some of the Top five music videos by Cardi B.

Here are some of the top five music video by Cardi B:

5. FOREVA

This was actually one of the first Cardi songs that truly made me a fan and thought that this girl could really make it as a female rap superstar! The video was ratchet and completely hood with it. It reminded me of old school hip hop music videos that girls like Lil’ Kim and Eve would’ve put out back in the 90’s. This was also the first Cardi music video I’ve ever watched, so it has a soft spot biasness to it that, I just had to at least mention it.

4. BE CAREFUL

One of the most underrated tracks from Invasion of Privacy. The Be Careful music video is actually pretty beautiful. The music video opens with a wedding in a church filled with Jesus statues and crucifixes located in the middle of the dessert. Cardi B walks down the aisle in a wedding dress. The clip shifts to a darker hue as the rapper returns to the church, this time for her husband’s funeral.

This is why so many people love Cardi’s visuals, especially when it has a concept and actually fits with the motion of the song! Also, the obvious Kill Bill references in the music video. Staged both a wedding and a funeral inspired by the film’s own tragic wedding scene. It even features the same church: the Sanctuary Adventist Church in Lancaster, California.

3. I LIKE IT

I Like It was a very colorful vibe of a music video with Cardi just having fun! The song’s accompanying music video was directed by Eif Rivera and filmed in March 2018 in Little Havana, Miami. The music video opens with Cardi B in a neighborhood, followed by scenes of Bad Bunny in the streets and J Balvin in a club. It also features scenes of the trio performing together.

This was one of the more fun songs that came out of Invasion of Privacy. Just like Bodak Yellow, it’s a song that literally everybody knows and loves! The music video has a fun island vibe with it and was surrounded with bright colors. There wasn’t much of a concept behind I Like It, just that it was a fun vibe of a video with no fakeness in the background. Not many people can pull off a fun music video without some kind of greenscreen effect, but Cardi made it work with I Like It.

2. PRESS

For those that may think that I’m going off from pure hype just because the video has came out recently. I’m not really the only doing it. Most people already are saying that this is definetly one of her best music videos! I wouldn’t argure with anyone who thinks this that’s a fan of Cardi and her visuals.

The music video has Cardi going to court and trying to win her case, but things ended going her way as she did ended up in jail, but she was able to make her escape towards the end. The behind the scenes photos for “Press” make me wish it was a movie, heck, I even feel like I was watching a trailer when it’s really a music video.

MONEY

As far as her best music video goes, and as much as I really do love and live for Press. I still say that her best music video is Money! The music video opens with a dancer swinging hypnotically around an invisible pole.

Cardi makes her first appearance in a black and white dress, which she wears with a futuristic-inspired, halo-like headpiece in an old-world style room. She is surrounded by a group of women in garter belts, black fascinators and open blazers baring nipples. Cardi then appears as a statue in a glass case, being gawked at by wealthy attendees.

The glass case is surrounded by several of her previous outfits on display. She also portrays a nude piano player and a breastfeeding mother in couture. Money is what made people want to wait for a Cardi B music video. When a music video doesn’t come out as soon possible, they expect for it to come in the same kind of quality and creativity as the Money video did.

So, in conclusion, I still say that Money is still Cardi’s best music video to date. Though, I do think that both Press and Money are both deserving to be in the conversation of being awarded for Best Music Video, and Video of the Year for the Grammy’s and the VMAs. I’ll also be doing predicitions for those as the time goes. Until further notice, Money is still that best top tier music video so far, in Cardi’s videography!

OPINION

Opinions: Two Years of Bodak Yellow

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Today marks the two year anniversary of the hit single that launched Cardi into rap super stardom, being, “Bodak Yellow.” The song was influenced by and interpolates the flow of American rapper Kodak Black’s song “No Flockin”.

The 8x PLATINUM track, peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and served as the rapper’s musical breakthrough. IIt was the first rap song by a female rapper to go #1 on Billboard since Lauryn Hills’ #1 hit single, “Doo Wop (That Thang).” The song received nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 60th Grammy Awards. The song won Single of the Year at the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awardsand Favorite Song Rap/Hip Hop Song at the 2018 American Music Awards.

This was the song that Cardi released as her first major label single “Bodak Yellow” & forever changed the landscape of female hip-hop.

CHARTING SUCCESS

“Bodak Yellow” was released June 16th, 2017 but failed to chart on Billboard until a month later, entering the charts at #85 on the week of July 22nd, 2017. Within the span of 12 weeks, “Bodak Yellow” rocketed to #1, surpassing Taylor Swift’s comeback single “Look What You Made Me Do”, & became the first solo female rap song in nearly 20 years to top the charts.

“Bodak Yellow” remained in the top spot for 3 weeks, surpassing Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That thing)” to become the longest running #1 solo female rap song in Billboard History.

“Bodak Yellow” became a worldwide phenomenon, reaching the top 10 in Canada and top 40 in Australia, Belgium, Dominican Republic, France and the UK. It became the best selling solo female rap song of 2017 worldwide.
It has received 10 certifications worldwide including a 8x platinum in the US and platinum in the UK. The song is now tied for the highest certified rap song in US history & became the first solo female rap song to go platinum in the UK in over 7 years. “Bodak Yellow” became a worldwide phenomenon, reaching the top 10 in Canada and top 40 in Australia, Belgium, Dominican Republic, France and the UK. It became the best selling solo female rap song of 2017 worldwide.

To date, “Bodak Yellow” has sold over 9.73 MILLION units in the US and is expected to reach DIAMOND eligibility by the end of 2019. The song has also sold over 12 MILLION units worldwide, making it one the top 3 best selling solo female rap songs of all time.

The song was also nominated “Best Rap Song” & “Best Rap Performance” at the 2018 Grammys, becoming the first solo female rap song in HISTORY to be nominated for both categories simultaneously.

MUSIC VIDEO

The song’s music video, directed by Picture Perfect, was released on June 24, 2017.

The video features scenes with Cardi B in Dubai, riding camels through the desert. The video received nominations to the BET Hip Hop Awards and iHeartRadio Music Awards. As of May 2019, the video had been viewed over 770 million times on YouTube.

OPINIONS

“Bodak Yellow” was a moment in pop culture history that cannot be duplicated. The song marked the beginning of a new era of female rap & became the catalyst in starting Cardi’s already iconic career. Happy 2nd birthday Bodak Yellow. Since the release of the song, Cardi has released her debut album called, “Invasion of Privacy,” which “Bodak Yellow” also made it onto as an album cut!

The song to this day is still very catchy and everyone still know it from word to word even after two years later! A lot of things has changed for Cardi since that song became a #1 hit! Since then, she’s also been the first female rapper in years to win a Grammy solo for Best Rap album in 2019 with “Invasion of Privacy.”

“Bodak Yellow” has become one of those staple songs that everyone has known and love! The success that “Bodak Yellow” had would eventually become replicated again with Cardi’s other song from “Invasion of Privacy,” with “I Like It!” Bodak Yellow was a hit that probably won’t be repelicated by another female rapper anytime soon, when it became #1, it would be a moment not only for female rap, but also for hip-hop in general.

Happy Two Year Anniversary “Bodak Yellow!” ❤️🎉

OPINION

A Year Later: Girls (Rita Ora Collab)

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“Girls” is a song by British singer Rita Ora, collaborating and featuring American rapper Cardi B, American singer Bebe Rexha and British singer Charli XCX. The single was released on May 11th in 2018 by Atlantic Records.

The song was written by Ora, Klenord Raphael, Ali Tamposi, Rexha, Jonny Coffer, Jordan Thorpe, Belcalis Almanzar, Brian Lee, Watt and Benjamin Diehl, while the production was handled by Ben Billions, Coffer and Watt.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BikBEb3HSp5/?utm_source=ig_embed

When Rita Ora announced that she was going to do collab alongside a fabulous trio of female artists such as Charli XCX, Bebe Rexha and Cardi B announced that they were going to be releasing a new song entitled ‘Girls’ which was going to explore female sexuality let’s just say that queer women were excited. 

The collaboration was announced on May 4th. Rita Ora described the song as an “empowering anthem”:

“These past few years I’ve been so inspired by all the strong women I’ve seen who aren’t afraid to be themselves. For those who aren’t afraid to rule the world, this is our anthem. A celebration of love. And of course, thank you to all the fellow boss women who so kindly graced this song with me — each representing who they are and where they are from […]”

The song, itself is mostly “tone deaf” lyrics, have been met with fierce criticism from bisexual and queer women. The song suggests that female sexuality is fluid, that when Rita Ora meets “Lara”, has a bit too much “Red wine” whilst “Kush lovin” and she just has to kiss her.

CONTROVERSY

The song attracted criticism, rather than praise, from notable queer women such as Hayley Kiyoko, who renounced the song as doing more harm than good to the LGBTQ+ community and catering towards male sexual fantasies.

The backlash prompted Rita Ora and Cardi B to exclusively “come out” and confirm they have had relationships with both women and men. Bebe Rexha has dismissed labels altogether and hit back by saying “Do you have to be fully lesbian to put out a song about kissing girls?” Rexha’s question is slightly insensitive as she fails to mention bisexuality as a legitimate sexual identity, preferring to argue that everyone’s sexuality is fluid.

I never understood why Rita Ora or any of the other artists featured on the song had to come out in order to justify the song, no queer person should have to do this in order to be respected by the community. However, it cannot be denied that identifying as “queer” is rising in popularity with some people viewing it as a fashion statement rather than a legitimate identity. The amount of people who identify as LGBTQ+ is increasing, with many young people saying that they are sexually fluid.

The song itself has elements of Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” have been carried on a decade later with the insinuation that alcohol and drugs lead Rita Ora to kiss girls. I completely agree with Hayley Kiyoko – there is definitely an implication here that women only kiss other women when they are drunk. On Twitter, people were defending the use of alcohol/drug influence when it came to having the confidence to tell someone that they’re attractive. However, there is a fine line between alcohol as a social lubricant and alcohol as a social crutch. In all honesty, it’s an unhealthy relationship to have if you need to be intoxicated in order to feel confident in your sexuality, and to then pull a member of the same sex as well.

 Another artist that came out about their thoughts about the song was Kehlani, an artist who describes herself as queer, called the artists out on social media for their derogatory language and use of slurs in the song. Basically, Cardi B used the term “scissoring” in her rap. I thought that we’d gotten over the fact that depictions of women in this sexual position were created to please men when they watch porn. Whilst it is not unheard of in the queer women community, scissoring works for some women and not for others, there is a lot of ignorance surrounding this topic and many people, queer and straight alike, believe that is the only way women have sex with each other. So a mainstream song like this does not help educate people very well at all.

Probably, the most frustrating aspect about this whole thing, is that the song, and apologies for the allusion to another problematic tune, blurs the lines over what bisexuality actually is. Biphobia and bisexual erasure is a problem that does exist in straight and queer places alike. We’ve all tried to forget about t.A.T.u.’s fake relationship or the fact that another famous pop-star Jessie J claimed that her bisexuality was simply a phase. 

MUSIC VIDEO

The music video for “Girls” was released on 6 June 2018. That video pushed me, and I am sure many more people who could understand both sides of the argument, right over the edge.

From start to finish, there are issues. The first shots are a bit like an opium den with amazing foliage, filled with semi-naked women, wearing barely there, flesh coloured nightie things. A lot of stroking and sultry looks with cuts to shots of fruits and orchids and other sort of vagina type things. I can tell you from personal experience, that is not what female same sex situations are like. Uh oh, the male gaze strikes again.

Then there are lots of women running through the woods, kissing mirrors (well, maybe I have done that by mistake), holograms of Cardi B (Cardi, you’re my girl for life), and of course the controversial kiss.


All in all, the video sadly debunked any previous apologies or assertions that “Girls” is a song for the bisexual female community. It proved that often messages claiming to be on our side actually do more harm than good.

The song itself seems to be more was like a repeat of Katy Perry’s hit, it is meant to be an embrace of bisexuality however, their depiction is murky. As much as the artists “good intentions” and their defenders denial of this fact, people are going to equate kissing women with being intoxicated because that is exactly what this song alludes to. Also, let’s forget women kissing women for a second. How women about loving women? How about women having sex with women? How about women dreaming about women? Artists are wanting to explore the tantalising image of two women kissing, but never really go further to actively support the LGBTQ+ community, but don’t seem to have much of a good direction to really go about it.