Cardi B is throwing it way back—to the sidewalk, with the Grammy-winning rapper literally hitting the pavement to promote her long-awaited sophomore album, Am I the Drama?, due out September 19.
In a video that instantly went viral, Cardi is seen crouched on a New York City sidewalk, incense burning beside her, hawking physical CDs from a blanket like a true 2000s-era mixtape hustler.
“$9.99! (aproximately Sh1300)” she shouts, flashing her signature grin while pointing at the variety of album cover variants spread out on the concrete. “My label said I gotta get out in these streets and sell this album,” she captioned the moment on Instagram. “LINK IN BIO.”
It has been seven years since Invasion of Privacy, Cardi’s blockbuster debut that catapulted her from reality TV star to hip-hop royalty.
That project delivered megahits like the diamond-certified “Bodak Yellow” and won her a Grammy for Best Rap Album.
Now, fans are eager to see if Am I the Drama? can level up the legacy.
So far, Cardi’s proving she is not afraid to mix nostalgia with modern marketing. Earlier this week, she sparked a social media frenzy after posting a TikTok clip previewing her track “Bodega Baddie,” complete with a fake pregnancy bump.
Fans initially speculated about baby number three—until it became clear it was another cheeky stunt in Cardi’s signature promo playbook.
While the full Am I the Drama? track list remains mostly under wraps, confirmed songs include the long-awaited “WAP” (2020) and “Up” (2021), as well as newer singles “Imaginary Playerz”—which samples Jay-Z’s 1997 classic—and “Outside.”
With 23 tracks in total and a rumored tour announcement on the horizon, the album is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated hip-hop releases of the year.