Cardi B's had quite a journey, transforming from strip club dancer to reality show personality to one of the biggest stars in hip-hop. After Bodak Yellow's scorching success, people thought she'd be a one-hit wonder. However, she proved the doubters wrong with her debut album, Invasion of Privacy. It contained several smash hits, from I Like It to Drip, and the Grammy's nominated the project for Album Of The Year. Not just Rap Album Of The Year - Album Of The Year. Pretty impressive! (Rumor has it rival Nicki Minaj is still screaming in horror.)
Last October, Cardi dropped a new single, Money, about how much she likes - you guessed it - money. She raps, "I was born to flex, diamonds on my neck / I like boardin' jets, I like mornin' sex / But nothing in this world that I like more than checks." (Sorry, four-month old baby Kulture - your mom likes money a lot more than you!) Today she released a music video for the club banger, and the visuals are stunning: Cardi returns to her strip club roots, plays the piano naked, breastfeeds her daughter and wears a pretty funky black-and-white outfit that defies description.
The juxtaposition between dancing on the pole and breastfeeding her daughter is pretty striking. Cardi embraces both sides of her femininity, as sexy video vixen and nurturing mother, proving that she can do both. And when she plays the piano naked, and tosses that defiant look to the camera, it's like she's daring everyone shame her for her choices.
After all, back when Cardi announced her pregnancy, some fans criticized her on social media. They argued that it's bad timing to have a baby at the peak of her career, with so many opportunities on the horizon. As every mother knows, children are demanding. Why get knocked up when you can go on international tours and party like a rock star?
However, in an interview with Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club, Cardi B fired back at the haters: "It just really bothers me and it disgusts me because I see a lot of women online like, ‘Oh I feel sorry for you, oh your career is over. As a woman, why can’t I have both? Why do I gotta choose a career or a baby? Like, why can’t I have both? I want both. I don’t want to wait until I’m 30-something to have a kid. I want my kid now that I have energy and stuff."
Well, in the 'Money' music video, Cardi is having it all. According to Fader, Cardi is re-releasing Invasion Of Privacy on January 25, and it will include the bonus tracks Money and Press. "The plan was always to drop a bonus, but I didn’t think I was gonna be so busy doing back and forth things after giving birth," Cardi told Ebra during an interview on Beats 1. "December or January. It’s songs that I think are really good that didn’t make the album."
