Cardi B Tells Apple Music About Making “Imaginary Playerz” and ‘AM I THE DRAMA?’

Cardi B joins Apple Music’s Zane Lowe for an in-depth conversation about her highly anticipated second studio album, ‘AM I THE DRAMA?’. In the conversation, Cardi reveals what exact time Jay-Z approved “Imaginary Playerz,” and opens up about overcoming writer’s block, the pressure of following her chart-topping debut, personal challenges over the past few years, and more.

Video, key quotes and photo below – please credit Apple Music / New Music Daily Radio with Zane Lowe.

LISTEN to the full episode anytime on demand with an Apple Music subscription HERE. WATCH the full video HERE.

ICYMI – Cardi B recently answered a range of fan questions submitted via her 1-800-DRAMA hotline during her takeover of Apple Music Radio, live from Apple Music’s new studios in LA. WATCH Cardi B giving advice to fans HERE.

VIDEO | Cardi B Gives Advice to Fans Via Her 1-800-DRAMA Hotline

Cardi B tells Apple Music about having writers block while creating ‘AM I THE DRAMA?’

Zane Lowe: There’s a lot of life going on around this time as well. It wasn’t just like you were sitting on music, you were trying to find balance, I’d imagine that was what was going on.

Cardi B: Yeah. It was just trying to find balance in life. And not only that, but it’s just like I don’t know, it got to the point for me that it’s like nothing was pleasing me. And it’s so funny because even when I get dressed up, when I wear clothes and stuff, there’s sometimes I’d be like, oh my gosh, I feel like I already did this. Oh my God, I feel like somebody already wore something similar to this. And that is the same way that I feel about music. And it’s just, you’ll be surprised. I got 80 songs that I did probably these past seven years. And it’s just like I just be like three weeks later, it’s like I don’t love it, I don’t want it, I feel stupid, it sounds dumb, it’s sounds this. And even when people come and try to help me, it’s like I still don’t like it. It’s like I really went through a crash that nothing was pleasing me, nothing.

Cardi B tells Apple Music about matching the success of her debut album ‘Invasion of Privacy’
Zane Lowe: How much was the success that you achieved with ‘Invasion of Privacy’ and the songs that came from that? And then of course the world opens up and people fall in love with you. So music is the key. And then they’re like, yeah, we love the music, but we love her. How much of that got inside your head as well a little bit?

Cardi B: It’s not really much. It’s just like I don’t go with the pressure of ‘Invasion of Privacy.’ Because what’s funny, when it came to ‘Invasion of Privacy,’ I wasn’t really thinking of like, oh, I need to make these numbers. I need to make these things. I just really felt like it’s like I have to keep my career. Because it was the first time I got pregnant and people were saying it’s like, oh, this never happened before. We never had an artist in the label that got pregnant right at the beginning of their career. So I just was in a rush to do my deadline and deliver my album. So that was on my mind.

Now things have changed because people criticize me a little bit harder more than I feel like any other artist, which I feel like is not fair to me. But it’s like, you know what? They don’t do it to the people they don’t think that they’re great or they don’t whatever. And it’s like one of the key that I feel confidence that I’m going to be okay because it’s like no matter what I do, it’s like sometimes I could put this fire-ass outfit and I could kill Fashion Week, and it’s like people would be cool, but where’s the music? I could drop a product and people be like, okay, but where’s the album? I could be in a drama, some controversial shit, and people are like, we don’t give a fuck. We want the album.

Cardi B tells Apple Music about other female rappers not liking her
In the industry, there is a lot of different female rappers, but for some reason, it’s something about me that these bitches can’t stand. They can’t fuck with me. Some bitches, I feel like they’re on this class right now, they’re sophomores, and I’m a senior. And it’s like you want to fuck with the senior so bad. You think you’re here with the senior. You’re not even a junior. And it’s like you need to worry about them other sophomores before you start worrying about here, the fucking senior. But it’s something about it that it’s like they can’t even focus on them. They got to focus on me. And they always got to focus on throwing me shots and throwing me slings. No matter if you’re a fucking sophomore or in motherfucking college, it’s me.

Cardi B tells Apple Music about the start of “Imaginary Playerz”
I was in the studio last year in the summertime and I was really caught in a funk. I ain’t got my hair done, I ain’t got my makeup done in weeks. I’m sleeping on the couch. It was the fourth, third day that I’m sleeping on the couch in the studio. And I just feel so down, not down, but I just don’t feel like my best.

I’m exhausted, I’m pregnant as fuck. And I was just going through some drama in my life and I just was so tired, so over it. And then my engineer was like, “Cheer up.” He’s like, “Come on, come on. We got to wake up, we got to get up.” And I was like, “All right. All right.” Then he started playing [Jay-Z’s] “Imaginary Players.” And I just started laughing because it was so random for him to play that. And I was like, yeah. I’m like, yo, imagine if I flip this but my way because it’s like my life. Because it’s like I got a lot of shit to brag about. I really do live a different lifestyle than a lot of people.

Cardi B tells Apple Music about making “Imaginary Playerz”
Cardi B: It’s like I’m practically rapping about what I’m living. Everything that I’m talking about is the things that I live or the things that my fly friends… Because I be looking like, it’s like what this bitch wearing? What this bitch talking about? What this and that? And it’s like I literally just have to make it rhyme, make it sound good, but it’s like this is my life. And I just took notes of everything that I was doing. It’s like even in the music video, I was really having a fitting. I just had my hair done and my makeup done and the people that were fitting me, they’re really the fashion houses fitting me for a show. All those outfits that I wore, I wore them for a show.

Zane Lowe: That’s not a set.

Cardi B: It’s not a set. And it’s like they’re really fitting me couture pieces while I’m doing a music video. This is my life. This is really my life. It’s like I’m wearing couture, but I’m not wearing it for a music video. I’m wearing it because I’m about to wear this to a show this week.

Cardi B tells Apple Music about feeling like she was dying the past year
Cardi B: I really like to do my things very colorful. I’m a very colorful person. But it’s just like this past year, I feel like something kind of was dying in me. My humbleness, me trying so much to be unproblematic, me trying to avoid drama, avoid the disses, avoid the bitches, avoid the talks, it’s like that shit is dying, that’s dying out in me. It is like that’s really dying in me. Because I’m really about to show you, bitch, that you are not fucking with me. The cockiness is being born again. And not only that, but it’s like my life, my relationships, everything, it’s like that shit is dying now too. It is giving chances, giving chances to men, giving chances to women, giving chances to people that it’s like just want to see the nice shorty shorty. It’s like, oh, just ignore it, be the bigger person. That shit is dying. Now it’s like I feel like I gave y’all too much grace to think that y’all could fuck with me. And it’s like that shit is dead, bitch. Now I’m going to embrace that. You wanted that, bitch. Now I’m going to give it to you. And I hope you could take it when I motherfucking give it to y’all. That’s how I feel, for real. You see that I’m getting kind of angry?

Zane Lowe: It’s a real emotion though. It’s a real human energy.

Cardi B: Yes, yes. Because imagine being in your crib. You’re going through so much, so much drama. You probably got into an argument with your aunt and your cousins and shit. Then your fucking husband doing some bullshit. Then in your music career in the studio, you got fucking writer’s block. You have all these problems going on. Then a bitch starts fucking with you. And it’s like while all this is happening, you got a bitch fucking with me. And it’s like all right, bitch, I can’t get to you at that moment, but I’m going to get to you now. And you’re going to get it on my time as well.

Cardi B tells Apple Music about Jay-Z approving “Imaginary Playerz” at 4:44 PM
Cardi B: Life, it just changed for me and I just needed to be outside. So I was just writing fly shit down. Then when it was time to submit it to get approved, I was a little scared. I was a little shaky. Wait a minute, Jay-Z got to approve it. I mean, I always knew that he got to approve it, but it was like, how about if he don’t approve it? How about if he fucking likes it? And he did like it. And it’s so crazy, the text message of him approving it, it was at 4:44 PM.

Zane Lowe: Are you kidding me? Is he living like that or is that just some crazy universe fucking spiritual shit? Because I don’t really think he’s sitting there waiting till 4, 4, 4.

Cardi B: No, nobody does.

Cardi B tells Apple Music how she is processing life after getting divorced
Zane Lowe: You’re still going through it though? Does it feel like you’re still processing? You talked about life changing.

Cardi B: Yes. Yes. You know when you graduate high school and now you’re about to go to college, you don’t know what you expecting. Well, not only do you got to go to college, it’s like I had to move out. So it’s like now you really in the real world. And it’s like I feel like I’m getting that reset again, but it doesn’t feel as good because I’m in my 30s and I shouldn’t be having a reset at my 30s. It should just be almost planned out, almost like this is what is coming for the rest of my life. It’s like sometimes I feel like I’m in my 20s and I don’t really want to feel like I’m in my 20s. I want to feel like I’m in my grown 30s because I got three kids. And it’s like I’m not a… I like to be outside. I like to have fun. But it’s like I like to have my things planned out. I’m always a person that thinking about five years from now. You know what I’m saying? I like to think about family.

That’s just the type of person that I just am. So experiencing that, experiencing the streets and stuff like that, it’s just a little weird. And then it’s like going through a divorce is very, very tough because you marry somebody and the person that you divorcing is not that person that you married at all. It’s like you really ask yourself like who the fuck did I marry? Who did I marry? There is no love there. There is no love. There is no love. But to me, I always felt like if I ever walk away from something, I get along with all my exes. Even if we don’t talk, we never ended it on some nasty, nasty stuff. So I never wish them bad. I don’t wish them bad or nothing like that. It has gotten to the point that it’s like, oh my gosh, I feel like I really hate you. I think I hate you. And I never wanted that. I always be wondering, it’s like why do women hate their baby daddy so much? Why do people say that divorce is so tough? I feel like if the love is dead, people should just go their separate way.