Cardi B’s “Imaginary Players” remix sparked online drama, Nicki Minaj’s Barbz chatter, Jay-Z conspiracy theories, and a fiery clapback from Cardi herself.
Cardi B’s latest move has Hip-Hop talking. Her new song “Imaginary Playerz” is a flip of JAY-Z’s American classic from the late 1990s. And now we are in a full-scaled debates over the creative merits of the song. Some praised the song and others said she totally missed the bullseye.
Let us walk a bit farther with this.
The song has also ignited Nicki Minaj’s loyal fan base, the Barbz. Oh, Barbz. I am so glad I am not in their crosshairs anymore. They have spread the idea that Cardi’s version has flip-flopped. And they have pushed the idea that JAY-Z somehow set Cardi up by approving the remake. HUH?
By the way, AI offered a response to this rumor, unsolicited I might add.
No, JAY-Z did not “set up” Cardi B for her song “Imaginary Playerz,” but rather he approved of her sampling his song “Imaginary Players” for her new track. Cardi B stated that JAY-Z’s approval was necessary for the release of the song and that she was happy he “loved it”.
Not everyone is buying that idea. Most believe that Jay likely gave Cardi his blessing in good faith. Some say because the song jabs Nicki Minaj, this is Jay’s way of jabbing the thorn in his side. Then there’s a video clip circulating that shook everything up. Cardi wasted no time firing back in the comments.
“The charts next Monday …my dong is number 1 iTunes ..you don’t even know wat you talking about but got a mouthful,” she replied. Monday will be here soon enough.
That clap-back, typos and all, just got people talking more. Quite a few detractors said the record shouldn’t have been touched. But Def Jam’s first lady, Nikki D, gave it her stamp of approval. That’s a heavy co-sign considering her place in Hip-Hop history. Watch our Nikki D interview here.
Back to Cardi. At the end of the day, whether you love it or hate it, the song has people revisiting JAY-Z’s original. For Cardi, that’s still a win. She’s on her rap rap ish. She could be doing “WAP 2,” which would drive me up a wall. The Brooklyn billionaire version is untouchable, but Cardi did it anyway. Now everyone’s talking.
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