Cardi B’s new single “Imaginary Players” stirred up online drama as fans linked it to Nicki Minaj’s feud with Jay-Z and Roc Nation.
Cardi B lit up social media Monday (August 11) with the announcement of her new single “Imaginary Players” and instantly found herself tangled in Nicki Minaj’s ongoing feud with Jay-Z.
The track, set to drop Thursday (August 15), is the second single from Cardi’s upcoming sophomore album Am I the Drama?, which arrives September 19.
But it wasn’t just the music that got people talking—it was the title. “Imaginary Players” shares its name with a classic Jay-Z cut from his 1997 album In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, and that coincidence didn’t go unnoticed.
Though no official confirmation has been made about whether Cardi’s version samples or references Hov’s original, the internet wasted no time connecting the dots—and stirring the pot.
With Nicki Minaj currently waging a very public one-sided war against Jay-Z and Roc Nation, some social media users saw Cardi’s announcement as a strategic move.
“So after months of Nicki Minaj dragging Jay Z online, he clears a song for Cardi B out of spite and y’all still think Nicki is crazy?” one user posted.
Another added, “Nicki ran her mouth so much Jay Z cleared a sample for Cardi.”
A third chimed in, “OOOOOOOOOOOOO so the whole influx of Roc Nation crash outs over the last month or 2 was REALLY because Nicki found out Cardi has a Jay-Z record and it’s eating her up inside.”
So after months of Nicki Minaj dragging Jay Z online, he clears a song for Cardi B out of spite and y’all still think Nicki is crazy?
— Masin Elijè (@MasinElije) August 12, 2025
Nicki ran her mouth so much Jay Z cleared a sample for Cardi 💀 pic.twitter.com/bsDhlwWvSA
— Jonathan (@ScrappyDoobertt) August 12, 2025
OOOOOOOOOOOOO so the whole influx of Roc Nation crash outs over the last month or 2 was REALLY because Nicki found out cardi has a Jay-Z record and it’s eating her up inside 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/AXP9lbrxEL
— 🐦⬛ WARLOCK 🐦⬛ (@MagicBardi) August 12, 2025
While Cardi has not addressed the speculation, she teased more details to come.
“If only y’all knew the story for what I had to go through with this single and to do something else. But when the song come out, I’m going to tell y’all more about the story because then I’m going to give y’all more of the surprises.”
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