HIP-HOP QUEEN
Cardi B is one of 2017’s pop music surprise stories, she’ll be at Day for Night fest.
When the Day for Night lineup was released in September, Cardi B’s name wasn’t among the headliners or the highlights. She was low on the list, behind Nine Inch Nails, Solange, St. Vincent and even the likes of Pretty Lights, Phantogram and Cashmere Cat.
But the stripper-turned-reality-star-turned-rapper has something no other act on the bill can claim — a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2017.
That commercial push will likely ensure Cardi B will attract one of the liveliest crowds at the music festival that will overtake the Barbara Jordan Post Office Friday through Sunday. She’ll play at 6:50 p.m. Saturday.
One somewhat surprising fact, Cardi B is just the fifth female rapper to top the Hot 100. But the feat of her hit track goes even further. “Bodak Yellow” is only the second solo tune by a female rapper to ever hit that summit. Lauryn Hill did it in 1998 with “Doo Wop (That Thing),” but even she was buoyed by the success of her former group, the Fugees.
“Bodak Yellow,” however, was more than a radio smash. It’s one of those songs that became different things to different people: a pop-culture touchstone and a hip-hop moment, an anthem for women and a rallying cry for the underdog. It’s up for two Grammys, including best rap performance and best rap song.
The song’s title and lyrical flow are an homage to Florida rapper Kodak Black and his 2014 song “No Flockin.” But Cardi B transformed it into something that was uniquely hers, filling every inch of the track with sass, sarcasm and bite. It’s a crowning achievement for a woman who has quickly gone from Instafamous to real-world rap royalty.
Want further proof of the song’s reach? Check out the viral videos it’s spawned, including Texas mom Cali Daniels’ kidfriendly parody, the New York morning subway dance or the clips of Latina moms trying to decipher the lyrics.
Cardi B, who is of Trinidadian and Dominican decent, also jumped on a trend, reworking the song in Spanish with rapper Messiah. She even referred to herself as “the trap Selena” on the song “MotorSport.”
The breakout success of “Bodak Yellow” will be tough to replicate. But for now, Cardi B is making money, and music, moves worthy of a festival headliner.