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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: 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, Uncategorized

A Year Later: “Invasion of Privacy” Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary

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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.

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.

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.

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.

Cardi celebrating “Invasion of Privacy’s Anniversary via Instagram!

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.

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!