Cardi B's 'Invasion of Privacy' unveils the layers of her unique persona

Cardi B, studio album, Invasion of Privacy, album

Cardi B released her first studio album Invasion of Privacy on Friday. Her album created shockwaves of support throughout the industry and outside of it--everyone from Green Day to Oprah wanted to "party with Cardi."

The project features 13 songs, including the hit anthem of 2017 “Bodak Yellow” which rocked the Billboard Music Charts for 35 weeks and three times at No.1.

The album begins telling her life story and the grind that it took for her to get in the place she is now on the track “Get up 10.”

“I was covered in dollars… Now im drippin’ in jewels...”

Cardi B takes listeners through her documented past as an adult entertainer and the grind it took to get to the peak in the music industry. The knocking bass and piano cascading creates the theme and enables the rapper to showcase the intensity of her feelings on the ratchet, disloyal and combative elements of her past that have driven her.

In many ways, this album peels back the onion of who Cardi B is as an artist and some of the influences that have cultivated her musical cues. For example, "Bickenhead" recaptures Project Pats battle-of-the-sexes classic "Chickenhead" as the hustlers' anthem.

The song “I Like It,” featuring Bad Bunny and J Blavin, transmits the MC’s Afro-Caribbean roots.

"I like stunting, I like shining/I like million dollar deals/ Where's my pen?"

The song samples Pete Rodriguez’s “I Like it Like That” with a major hip-hop twist featuring Puerto Rican Trap singer Bad Bunny who provides the funky latin flare.

“I Like It” kicks off with Pete Rodriguez’s voice, echoing off the amplified bass as Cardi B rips off a list of things she likes, including her nod to NYC culture, saying,

“Flexing on [another name for a female dog]… As hard as I can/ Eating halal, driving a Lam.”

The track reaches another level once Bad Bunny fades into his part as the Mariachi tune coast underneath his vocals—this song is a certified banger.

As far as features go, Cardi B did an excellent job featuring artists that adequately fit the persona and vibe of the album’s cadence. She’s featured with the Migos, Chance the Rapper, 21 Savage, SZA and Kehlani—as well as the aforementioned Bad Bunny and J Blavin.

Cardi has songs that are tailored to her past and her present. In the song “Ring” she cracks open some of her past experiences with battles of her love life and in “Thru Your Phone” she discusses her face-to-face challenges, dealing with infidelity.

But in many ways, this album represents everything that’s going great with Cardi—like when she talks about meeting Beyonce and her mom. The song “Best Life,” featuring Chance the Rapper, captures that perfectly. The jam begins with Chance saying, “I’m living my best life/Yeah,yeah/im living my best life.” Cardi remains transparent with what it took to live the way she’s living.

“I took pictures with Beyonce/ I met mama Knowles/ im the rose that came from/ The concrete and arose/ im like gold, im like ‘Goals’/ Man, im chose and im floating.”

The beat provides a simplistic pop and a myriad of echoing voices beneath the bass, but the tracks inspire while establishing a vibe that makes you want to jig a little bit—expect to see a lot of Instagram captions from this track.

This album balances the growth, grind, and joy of an artist who is enjoying the fruits of her tireless labor. It documents her past while bringing fans into the everyday party that Cardi joyously presents like an open book.

The Billboard 200 charts already have Invasion of Privacy set for a debut at No.1 on the charts which would make her only the fifth female rapper to climb that ladder since Nicki Minaj did with Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded in 2012.

Invasion of Privacy is a must listen!

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