Cardi B has released her first solo album in three years. In one of her new songs, she makes fun of her longtime rival Nicki Minaj.
“Like What (Freestyle),” Cardi, 31,’s first song back in the rap world, uses Missy Elliott’s 1999 hit “She’s a Bitch.” It came out on Friday, March 1. “First, that bitch hate me, then this bitch hate me / And somehow, they link up and become friends, like, how?” was one way Cardi used the sample.
As soon as fans heard the line, they thought it was about JT from the rap team City Girls. For 2018’s “Twerk,” Cardi worked with JT, 31, and Yung Miami, but the two had a public fight. “Lap dog” was what Cardi called JT in 2022, while JT told Cardi to “go fetch a real talent.”
In the next part of the verse, Cardi seemed to make a more clear reference to Minaj, 41. The rapper says, “You dumb, you slow, you wildin’ / Got your first pair of Ricks [Rick Owens shoes], now you stylin’?” “Look, I had everything you got five years ago. I posted it on Instagram (haha, haha) before it even came out in stores.”
Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” was the number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 for five years, until Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” hit the top spot in 2022. Minaj has been on top of the Hot 100 before with “Say So” with Doja Cat and “Trollz” with 6ix9ine. “I Like It” with Bad Bunny and J Balvin, “Girls Like You” with Maroon 5, “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion, and her own album “Up” are the other four No. 1 songs on the Hot 100.
There are also love scenes in “Like What (Freestyle)”. Cardi’s ex-husband Offset directed the music video that goes with it, and in one scene, she wore a mink coat over a skimpy bikini. It was quickly recognised by fans as a loved nod to Lil’ Kim’s 2003 “Came Back for You” music video outfit.
Cardi teased at the end of the “Like What” video that this is “just the beginning,” which gave fans hope that her long-awaited follow-up to 2018’s “Invasion of Privacy” will finally come out. Cardi has been hinting at her second record for a long time. She told Vogue México y Latinoamérica in August 2023 that she would “put out my next solo single” while finishing up the album.
She said, “Everyone always tells me I should release the album now, but I tell them I won’t wait long after all these singles.” Keep an eye out, because it’s coming out soon.”
A month later, Cardi told radio host Ebro Darden that she was worried that her next album wouldn’t be as popular as Invasion of Privacy, which is why it took so long to come out. The singer said, “I’m just holding on to this album because I feel like I’m missing a few things.” “On top of that, I feel like people are expecting so much that everything has to be perfect in every way.”