Since the release of her Grammy-winning 2018 album Invasion of Privacy, Cardi B has come out with a number of singles each marking a different moment in her career. In 2020, it was her No. 1 hit song “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion; the two would later link up again in 2023 for “Bongos.” There was “Press” in 2019 and the double-platinum “Up” in 2021.
Now, Cardi is back with a new song, and it should sound familiar to hip-hop fans. “Like What (Freestyle)” samples Missy Elliot’s iconic 1999 single “She’s a B***h” and features Cardi easily having fun with the beloved beat. In the video for the track, directed by her husband Offset, Cardi leaves little to the imagination as she dances around a hillside mansion.
“It’s a look when I’m hoppin’ out the B / Red wig hangin’ down to my knees / It’s your birthday, but they talking ’bout me / Why you mad? Take a picture, say ‘cheese,’” she raps. Just as in ’90s rap and her own lyrics today, Cardi takes the opportunity to flex on those who wish they were her. “Everything you got, I had five years before / I put it on the ‘Gram ‘fore it even hit the store,” she boasts.
When speaking with Vogue México last year about her her long-awaited sophomore album, Cardi reassured fans that it would be worth the wait.
“Everyone always tells me I should put the record out now,” she said. “They did when I released ‘WAP’ and when I released ‘Up,’ but I always let them know I’m not going to wait long after all these singles. So stay tuned because it’s coming out very soon.” And that’s not all she has planned for the future. “I also have plans in the movie world. I actually have plans to do everything I can: fashion, branding—I want to do it all, baby.”
