Cardi B Has A Strong Message For Critics And Industry Peers Calling Her Latest Album A 'Flop'

Cardi B recently released her long-awaited second studio album, "Am I The Drama?," and it came with more than just 23 new tracks. The project, released on September 19, also sparked viral TikTok sounds and generated significant drama on social media. Now, a month after the album's release, the former "Love & Hip Hop" star is firing back at claims it was a "flop" and revealing the journey behind releasing her most personal record yet.

Speaking with Paper Magazine, Cardi B, 33, opened up about her album selling over 200,000 equivalent units in its first week and addressed the social media stans labeling her project a "flop."

"It's been such drama with the numbers," the mother of three said. "First of all, I'm very proud of my number. Very proud of my number. We're in a very different era when it comes to music. So, not only am I proud of my numbers, but you got b-tches from the sideline that are going to try to make you not feel proud of your numbers."

Much like the spirit of her album, Cardi B then took shots at some of her industry peers, adding, "There's people that have never even seen 100,000 sales calling me a flop."

"So people will try to discourage you about your numbers, but clearly, they don't discourage me," she continued. "That's what people will try to do, but it fails. It fails when 1000s of videos are being made to your music. And then there's 1000s of people doing memes to your songs. There's so many people that was doubting my album, that is like, 'You know what, her album is good.'"

"Am I The Drama?" was Cardi B's first big release in seven years. Her first album, "Invasion of Privacy," hit streaming giants in April 2018 and featured the songs "Bodak Yellow," "I Like It," and "Ring."

In between her first and second albums, Cardi B dropped several one-off singles, including "WAP" and "UP"—both of which saw massive success, causing many to wonder why there was a nearly eight-year gap between projects.

"When I put out my first album, people have to remember I didn't even understand what the big deal was [about] putting out an album," she said. "This one, I understood how serious it was, and I wanted it to be something that I love. All these songs I personally love. All these songs, these are the songs I picked from out of a selection."

As she continued, Cardi B explained that despite the success, she felt her first album was rushed due to behind-the-scenes business dealings and being pregnant with her first child, Kulture.

"This time, I took my time. Not only that, but in the past seven years, I grew so much. I had a couple of kids. Now, I’m really in the industry. I was navigating it. I was understanding it. I was learning it. I was learning myself. I was growing up. I became an adult, a real adult, a real grown-up," she said.

On her album, Cardi B wasted no time coming for some of her industry peers. In the first three songs alone, the "Safe" rapper takes shots at JT from the City Girls and Ice Spice. In another song, "Pretty & Petty," Cardi B directly mentions the rapper BIA, criticizing her physical appearance in multiple bars.

According to a previous report from The Blast, Cardi B explained that she came for BIA after the latter allegedly spoke negatively about her children, saying, "When my kids grow up one day and they see that you mentioned them ... they're gonna ask me, 'So what you said? What you did [in response]?"

"I’m not gonna tell my kids, 'I felt like she took the high road cause she lost, cause people wasn’t on her side.' Nah, I’m not sayin' that to my kids. I’m [gonna be] like, 'You see how I violated?'" Cardi B continued.

Prior to releasing her most recent album, Cardi B hinted on social media that she'd be stirring up trouble with her new songs.

"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 h-ll," she said in an ominous teaser video shared to her Instagram. "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."

According to another report from The Blast, Cardi B recently apologized to her followers for asking them to purchase her album when prices in the United States are so high.

For those unfamiliar, Cardi B made headlines last month when she shared videos of herself begging followers to buy her music to prevent her from being "evicted."

"I'm f-cked up in the game right now," she joked online.

However, Cardi B said that after trying to help someone close to her obtain an apartment in New York City, she realized some people might be facing financial struggles, and asking them to purchase her album may not have been a considerate move.

"I am so sorry for asking y’all to buy my album, and this is how the economy is right now, that the rent is so f-cking high and crazy in the Bronx, no matter where. I am so sorry," the rapper said.