Invasion of Privacy is the debut studio album by Bronx, New York rapper Cardi B. It was released on April 6, 2018, by Atlantic Records. While primarily a hip hop record, Invasion of Privacy also has mixes of trap, Latin and R&B.

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Invasion of Privacy honestly, did had a lot to live up to with a lot of people. After the major success hit that was “Bodak Yellow,” and “Bartier Cardi” people were asking for fully-fledged Cardi B album. The album was planned ahead and Cardi was hard at work on it all throughout 2017 and bits of 2018. The album finally got released to the general plublic as of 2018.

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The album was filled with so many big and potential hits such as, “I Like It,” “Be Careful,” “Bartier Cardi,” and “Ring.” If there was ever any pressure to live up to “Bodak Yellow” though, Cardi instead, she takes every opportunity and showed her doubters that they can all eat crow! The way she raps on this album executed with so much confidence and charm, but with Invasion of Privacy she seizes her seat on the rap throne through punishing, unrelenting taunts. She’s fully self-aware and seemingly unstoppable.

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The production of the album is also very amazing and has a lot of variety in messing with different sounds. A record daring enough to produce something like “Bartier Cardi,” an R&B-infused song with “Ring,” and the quiet prowler and sleep-hitter “Thru Your Phone,” Invasion of Privacy never shrinks away from a potential risk, delivering hugely satisfying payoffs. With Latin trap sensation Bad Bunny and reggae star J Balvin for the Latin sound hit with “I Like It,” Cardi reworks Pete Rodriguez’s classic into a cross-cultural block party, bilingual and welcoming.

And of course you can never go wrong with a Pat-sampling “Bickenhead” reimagines the original as another great get-money anthem, leaning into the same inflections and cadences, but with a female-focused Cardi spin.

Some of my favorite tracks from Invasion of Privacy:

GET UP 10

What a great start for a debut album! I wonder how Meek felt when he had first hear this track. I’m sure he would’ve been proud, (I say this, considering he was still in jail at the time)! Cardi B released this album just to let all her naysayers hear this message loud and clear before taking their necks off. I need Flex bombs. Drop all the bombs!

Bickenhead

Another BANGER! This song was almost everywhere in every woman’s Instagram captin during the remainder of spring/summer back in 2018! This song needs more recognition! Like seriously, every line is an Instagram caption or a Twitter quote. Cardi might be a genius for this one. So simple yet so effective.

Bodak Yellow

Of course, you probably can’t mention Imvasion of Privacy without mentioning it’s BIGGEST hit! Bodak Yellow, though “I Like It” may actually want a word with that statement, still though this is the song that made Cadi a star! It would almost be wrong to not give it a mention here! “Bodak Yellow” is just one of those records that you can’t resist but to rap.
There’s a naturalness to how she rides this beat. All the energy, all the punch, but she doesn’t lose her grace.

MONEY BAG

I feel like this song gets a bit of unneccesary hate, but I don’t care I like it! No pun intended on that one! This is one of those many songs that has trap elements in it. Also, I got Florida vibes when it came to this song, maybe Cardi probably loves Florida rap, word to Trina!

BEST LIFE

I was honestly so surprised to see a Chance feature on here! It actually made me even more happy that the features were kept secret for a while. Cardi’s verse once again, was more of Instagram caption.
I really like this Cardi verse. She admits she exposed herself to the world. She is hip-hop’s Cinderella. I love it, more of an underrated track from the album.

Of course, we can’t talk about this album without naming off some accolades that its received throughout the past year of 2108! It debuted at the top of the US Billboard 200, earning 255K units in its first week, with 103K coming from pure album sales.

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It has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It produced five singles—”Bodak Yellow”, “Bartier Cardi” featuring 21 Savage, “Be Careful”, “I Like It” with Bad Bunny and J Balvin, and “Ring” featuring Kehlani. “Bodak Yellow” and “I Like It” have both reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first female rapper to achieve multiple chart-toppers.

The album set multiple streaming records, while all the thirteen tracks entered the Hot 100—all except the lead single charted simultaneously in the debut week. She became the first female artist to have all tracks from an album certified gold or higher by the RIAA.

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Invasion of Privacy won Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, with Cardi B becoming the first female rapper to win the category as a solo artist. It was also nominated for Album of the Year, with “I Like It” being nominated for Record of the Year and “Be Careful” for Best Rap Performance. “Bodak Yellow” was nominated for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for the previous ceremony.

Again, I can’t believe that it’s been a year since Invasion of Privacy has released! After all the pushbacks this album had, because if you remembered back in 2017, it was going to be released in October of that year. Then again, maybe it was good that she ended up waiting after all for an overall killer project. Of all the albums last year it’s still one of the many albums that I still listen to almost on a daily!

If anything “Invasion of Privacy” single handedly solidified Cardi as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry, even with multiple publications calling the album a “classic” and “one of the most powerful debuts” esepcially by a female rapper ever!