It’s not often that artists looking to use reality television as a catalyst for a career in the music industry achieve that goal. The expectation level is usually low, but Cardi B came to silence the skeptics and the naysayers.
This past weekend was an eventful one for Cardi B. The Bronx native was nominated for two BET awards (Best New Artist and Best Female Hip Hop Artist); and also found time to release visuals for her most recent mixtape club banger, Bodak Yellow.
The video is shot in a desert setting, one could assume somewhere like Dubai. Cardi, dressed in traditional garb, opens the production perched on a camel rocking six inch
red bottoms; or “bloody shoes” as she refers to them in the lyrics. Royalty is a theme woven throughout the scenes. The freshman rapper is seen sitting on her “throne”, petting exotic cats, and making it rain cash and jewels.
In another shot, Cardi commands attention donning a signature black bob with bangs and a Valentino Transparent Rockstud trench coat. And with her entourage seated behind her, it’s clear that this she is the one calling the shots.
Bodak Yellow is the first single released following two critically acclaimed mixtapes (Gangsta B**** Music Vol 1 and Vol 2), from the Love and Hip Hop alum. But the title is a play on rapper Kodak Black’s name. Cardi borrows the beat from Kodak’s No Flocking record, even mimicking the rapper’s cadence on the track. In the song, Cardi references her rapid climb to the top, posing the question “What b%*#@ works as hard as me”, and further declaring, “I don’t gotta dance, I make money moves”. As quickly as Cardi B’s star seems to be rising, and considering her her recently secured deal with Atlantic records, it appears that her receipts are in order.
