Cardi B Fights Quality With Popularity

Seemingly overnight, Cardi B has joined rap’s elite. Number one singles, magazine covers, big-name features, and a star boyfriend were all part of her 2017. In a small span of time, the singer of “Bodak Yellow”, has everything that other women in this genre have had to battle for years to get.

Personally, I find some of her bars hard to understand, but even with so few verses in her rap career, she’s a certified star. People love her, and I’ve found myself a fan of her too for some time, just not of her music. She’s not bringing anything I can’t hear in other places over similar beats, she’s just happens to be new.

Cardi B and Bruno Mars on the set of his Finesse (remix) music video

I think much of her popularity comes from her personality, which is often perceived as genuine. As far back as her stint on Love and Hip-Hop, she was always upfront about who she is. She was a stripper trying to find new ways to make money. I even remember her nagging DJ Self to help push and promote her music, and he never took her seriously. At that point, circa 2015, who would? She has no lyrical prowess, just a hard accent and an undeveloped flow. Fortunately, on that show she never stooped to the lows that the other girls did. She wasn’t above an occasional argument, but none of it felt contrived. Maybe because she had already earned money and the show could only improve her business prospects.

On Twitter, she’s known for tweeting with the openness and honesty of an average user. She speaks her mind, frequently. If critics come her way, she has no problem responding with swift barbs. In this regard, Cardi is just like us, toggling between pointed profanity and excitement on social media without a care in the world.

I’m not mad at her lack of talent or her newfound success. I’m happy for her, and it seems that’s the same sentiment many fans are having when her name comes up. The music is generic and her rhymes are elementary, but it’s her ability to be relatable that will give her the attention and spotlight that so many new entertainers would kill for. That’s a story everyone can cheer for.