Words by Qadriyyah Brown
As all Hip-Hop heads are well aware, rapper & reality TV star Cardi B’s track “Bodak Yellow” was the number 1 streamed song end of summer 2017 and has now been number one for back to back weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. She has even received a bouquet of flowers from reigning Pop superstar Taylor Swift, whom she bumped out of the coveted number one. Go Cardi right? Well for many Hip-Hop fans and artists alike, maybe not so much.
Since the announcement of her becoming the 1st female rapper in 19 years to reach the number one spot without any features, social media has let loose in their feelings about a former exotic dancer taking the number one spot and they are not stopping. The hate is real out here! One would think that the hoorah for her would be magnificent but many have argued online that her sketchy past and her boasting lyrics in “Bodak Yellow” are a bad influence on younger girls. Some may argue that pretty obvious that if she were a male rapper, her past as a dancer would have stayed there…in the past. It’s as though people loved her for when she was just on the come up but now that she has the entire nation’s attention with just one song, they are now scrutinizing her literally from head to toe.
Why was it okay for everyone to blast her music throughout the club all summer long while reciting every lyric of “Bodak Yellow,” but now those same people are saying she is not deserving of what many call the top place in music today? And when the focus does go back to her actual music and artistry, people are quick to point out that she really didn’t write all of those lyrics in a tasteless attempt to discredit her abilities as a writer. She is very real and for some it may be too real. As she said, “only the real can relate.” Keep on doing you Cardi B!
