Cardi B Shades A Certain Rapper While Defending Choice To Include 'WAP' And 'UP' On Her Second Album

Cardi B shared the news that her highly anticipated sophomore album titled "Am I the Drama?" will hit streaming services in September 2025. However, when some music fans noticed the 23-song track list included the singles "WAP" and "UP," they called the mother of three out for allegedly trying to inflate her sales.

"Bro, f-ck outta here with this payola sh-t," one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "No real fan of music or artist should endorse this fluke."

"Adding singles from five years ago because all your new ones tanked is so embarrassing," another user posted.

A third commenter also chimed in, criticizing the former "Love & Hip Hop" reality star for trying to "fluff the numbers."

They added, "These songs are 4-5 years old. That's not strategy. It's padding."

Cardi B, however, doesn't seem fazed by the chatter. In fact, she uploaded a lengthy post of her own to X, clarifying why she chose to include two of her most popular singles on her sophomore project.

"This will be the last and only time I’m gonna address this," she began before saying her supporters have begged her to include "WAP" and "UP" on her album for years. "They deserve a home," she said.

Cardi B even claimed that the controversy around her 2020 single "WAP," featuring Megan Thee Stallion, prevented her from submitting the song for Grammy recognition. "... at this point I’m giving my fans what they want!" she added.

"These two songs don't even count for the first week sales so what are y'all even crying about???" she continued. "Do ya say anything when all these artist pull out all their little tricks and ponies to sell out???"

And despite the criticism, Cardi B has received some support from fans, defending her decision to include the 2020 and 2021 singles on her new album.

"Y'all keep using '5 year old songs' like it's a drag," someone posted. "It's still her songs intended for her second album. Not our fault Nicki [Minaj] has no songs from 2019-2021 that smashed that she could've put on her album!"

Another user shared a similar thought, writing, "'WAP' and 'UP' are massive hits still after several years. They deserve to have a home on an album. Simple as that."

On Sunday, June 22, Cardi B first teased on Instagram that her sophomore album would be available to the public to hear soon.

In a teaser, the "Bongos" rapper said, "Seven years and the time has come. Seven years of love, light, and loss. Seven years I gave them grace, but now I give them hell."

She continued, "I learned power's not giving, it's taking. I'm shedding feathers and no more tears."

"I'm not back," she added, "I'm beyond. I'm not your villain, I'm your karma. The time is here. The time is now."

Days before sharing the release date for "Am I the Drama?" Cardi B also gave fans a taste of what they could expect from her next LP when she released her latest single "Outside."

In a previous interview, she revealed she created the track some time ago when she was "very, very angry."

"I had to change some bars because I was angry, honey," she added.

Cardi B also discussed how her next album differs from her first project, "Invasion of Privacy," which was released in 2018.

"I feel like it's unexpected, and I feel like it's something that's not really out right now," she continued. "It's gonna be things that people do expect me and a lot of things people don't expect from me."

She also echoed that sentiment after "IOP" became a global hit, saying she believed some people were "boxing me in."

"I just wanted to show people that, no, I could do different things. And then on top of that, I'm proud that I could be a woman in my album, you know?" she said.