Cardi B is getting ready to drop the next single from her long-awaited sophomore album, Am I The Drama? on August 15. The track, which she first teased on Instagram by posting what is presumably the track's cover art, is titled "Imaginary Players."
Of course, fans quickly reacted to the title of the song, as it shares a name with a classic Jay-Z track, from his 1997 sophomore album, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. On that track, Jay drops off a series of obscene flexes and directs bars at New York City contemporary Ma$e, who was one of the hottest in the game at the time.
Because Cardi B's new song uses the same title, fans have speculated that it will feature a sample of the Jay track and serve a similar role to the original, taking shots at some of the people in her lane. She took to Instagram Live to confirm part of that statement, though she played coy pertaining to whether a direct sample will be used or not.
"It's one of my favorite songs on the album, to be honest with you," Cardi started. "I fought really hard to put this song out because some people wanted a different direction, but I wanted more of a hip-hop direction [...] This single is really how I talk all day, every day, but in a song. It's like, real flex s**t, real calm flex s**t, you know what I'm saying?"
Cardi B "Imaginary Players"
Of course, if Cardi B's new single actually samples Jay-Z, that will not go over well with longtime rival Nicki Minaj or her fans. In fact, the Barbz have already taken to social media to voice their criticisms.
"She really be doing things on purpose to piss Nicki off…..Barbz pay this [garbage emoji] no mind," wrote one Instagram user in Live Bitez's comments section. "She rlly wanna be Nicki , the obsession," said another. Some theorized that Cardi is attempting to secure a Roc Nation deal of her own, as Cardi has voiced her displeasure with Atlantic Records through the years.
Regardless, Cardi B's next single will drop on Friday, and it will be interesting to see if she can secure another hit ahead of her album.
