Overview

• On his podcast, Joe Budden said Cardi B should avoid reworking revered East Coast beats, adding of the new single, “She shouldn’t do that again.”
• Budden argued her delivery felt choppy on the Jay-Z-associated instrumental and noted a fan edit over Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s “Get Money” sounded stronger.
• Spotify reported that streams of Jay-Z’s original “Imaginary Players” rose 305% between August 15 and 17 following Cardi B’s release.
• Cardi B said Jay-Z personally cleared the sample, recounting that the approval message arrived at 4:44 p.m.
• Released August 15 with a video, “Imaginary Playerz” tees up Am I The Drama?, due September 19 on Atlantic, with a 23-track listing that includes “WAP” and follows June’s lead single “Outside.”