Album Review: Cardi B – Invasion of Privacy
3 min read
After bursting onto the hip hop scene early last year, Cardi B’s debut album feels like a very long time coming. But Cardi B plays by nobody’s rules but her own, something that runs as a strong theme throughout Invasion of Privacy and beyond.
Opener Get Up 10 is full of classic 90s stylings and barbed wire attacks at all who have underestimated her in the past. To dismiss Cardi B is a huge mistake, her strong presence transcends a craving for validation and she most definitely doesn’t care for anyone’s opinions but her own. This track is a explosive back story to your new favourite rapper, chronicling her resilience as a woman of colour in a white mans world. Drip features Migos; home to Offset who is the father of Cardi’s unborn child, this track is balanced and highlights how very much on the same wavelength the pair are. Cards B has spoken of Lady Gaga and Madonna as influences prior to the release of this record, and the seedy synths are very Berlin underground in their styling.
There was little anticipating just how much Bodak Yellow would do for Cardi B on a global scale. Propelling Cardi into the record books and beyond, this is a track perfectly presenting Queen Cardi to her newly adoring public. There’s so much indifference in her flow, she literally just doesn’t care if you’re going to talk down to her because guess what? Cardi’s a millionaire now.
Most things are made better by the presence of Chance The Rapper, and Best Life is no exception. Taking his now signature soul piano, Cardi B drops her own flow on top but it works so well! Comparisons to Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliott come thick and fast where Cardi is mentioned, but here she is embodying something these ladies could only dream of. Cardi and Chance is a winning combo, even more than something classic like summer and a can of dark fruits.
Kehlani is a lady in high demand right now, and Cardi B cottoned onto this getting her on board for Ring. There is less urgency than the first half of the record, but such is Cardi’s talent that she is able to maintain her trademark attitude despite the pace being more laid-back. Both artists share a strong sense of identity and they use them to lift each other up rather than compete.
The SZA featuring I Do continues to show off just how many fantastic women of colour there are succeeding at the minute, catching the spotlight and refusing to let it fade. The rolling snare links back to Bodak Yellow, as does the message of female empowerment – a powerful woman being open about using men to get what she wants is a revelation, especially in the world of hip-hop where females continue to be objectified.
Invasion of Privacy is important. For hip hop, for people of colour and for females of all types. In Cardi B, we have a refreshingly honest performer who has the talent to match. The lady performed at Coachella with a sizeable baby bump and thought nothing of it – truly there can be no stopping her from taking over the entire world.
