[Review] “Invasion of Privacy” — Cardi B
I said I never had a problem showin’ y’all the real me
Hair when it’s fucked up, crib when it’s filthy
Way-before-the-deal me, strip-to-pay-the-bills me
‘Fore I fixed my teeth, man, those comments used to kill me
But never did I change, never been ashamed
Never did I switch, story stayed the same
And perhaps it’s verses like this which shines Cardi’s appeal. It’s almost impossible to hide information thanks to the internet, and because of this our generation values authenticity. Cardi B has always expressed herself within this image. Her personality is raw, almost overbearing, and her verses are often cutting, saying what most of us may think to ourselves.
This album is a solid debut for Cardi. We start off hard with Get Up 10, which is basically Cardi’s Dreams & Nightmares. She starts out hard, and then goes even harder after the second half. The track Money Bag is a banger, and we can see the grime influence. Bickenhead shows us the Three 6 Mafia influence- which seems to be on the rise recently on other tracks like Plain Jane and with G-Eazy.
Ring, Be Careful, and Thru Your Phone are vulnerable tracks for Cardi. This is a side we haven’t seen since GBM Vol.1 from 2016. Tracks like these are ones that allow us to consume Cardi’s authenticity much more easily. Her hype tracks usually contain heavy lyrics which distract from the honest verses within the same track. For example in the track Get Up 10, verses such as:
I started speakin’ my mind and tripled my views
Real bitch, only thing fake is the boobs
are overpowered by:
I waited my whole life just to shit on n*ggas
Climbed to the top floor so I can spit on n*ggas
which obviously catches much more attention. But really Cardi is able to get her point across regardless of these two types of delivery. She values characteristic qualities about patience and hard work, more so than material successes. Her work often brings light to people’s actions, their dishonesty, or their personality types.
Back to the album, there were no filler tracks except for maybe she bad, which I think was bad, and also Bickenhead. Regardless, I can see a lot of singles being released form this album down the line, especially the song I Like It.
We can hear the fusion of latin trap in the song. This is most definitely a trend we are seeing with other artists ever since Despacito hit mainstream. Metro did it with Who’s Stopping Me Now, French Montana with Unforgettable, Migos with Narcos, Demi Lovato with Echame La Culpa, etc. I like latin music, so my views on this trend are positive. I believe this song is going to be a summer hit along with Drake’s Nice For What.
I also would like to point out that Cardi has great one-liners that fit her personality. These are things only she can say and get away with:
“Pussy so good I say my own name during sex” — I do
“Only time that I’m a lady is when I lay deez hos to rest.” — I do
“I left a n*gga on read ’cause I felt like it” — SZA line that sounds very SZA
“Tell RiRi I need a threesome.” — She Bad
“Spread them ass cheeks open, make that pussy crack smile Wrap your legs around that n*gga, make him give ya ass a child” — Bickenhead
“Flexing on bitches as hard as I can, eating halal, driving a lamb” — I like it
Oh my Cardi.
4/5 Overall Cardi is able to retain her vibe across the album. Her personality can be a bit grating, but she did a good job spreading it out, and not going overboard with it. I find it to be cohesive, yet not so repetitive as she explores slightly different style throughout the album. Compared to her previous albums, this one is showcases both empowering and vulnerable sides of Cardi.
