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Am I the Drama?

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Am I the Drama?
Cover art for Am I the Drama: Cardi B in a red dress and shoes, surrounded by a flock of black birds
Standard cover
Studio album by
Cardi B
ReleasedSeptember 19, 2025 (2025-09-19)
RecordedSeptember 2019 – February 2025
LabelAtlantic
Producer
Cardi B chronology
Invasion of Privacy
(2018) 		Am I the Drama?
(2025)
Singles from Am I the Drama?
  1. "Outside"
    Released: June 20, 2025

Am I the Drama? is the upcoming second studio album by American rapper Cardi B. It is scheduled to be released on September 19, 2025, through Atlantic Records. It serves as the follow-up to her debut album, Invasion of Privacy (2018).

Background and development

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Following the release of Invasion of Privacy in 2018, Cardi B partly took time off to focus on motherhood and ventured into other forms of entertainment, including television[1] and fashion.[2] "WAP" featuring Megan Thee Stallion was released on August 7, 2020, and was followed by "Up" on February 5, 2021. The rapper revealed that the album would shortly follow however, the project was delayed multiple times, citing perfectionism and pressure to live up to expectations.[3]

Arriving over seven years after its predecessor, the project was recorded over a six-year period[4][5] and is set to feature collaborations with artists she has worked with before as well as new collaborators.[6] After sharing a teaser related to an announcement on June 22, 2025, the rapper officially revealed the album artwork and the release date the next day via social media. Am I the Drama? is set to feature twenty-three tracks, including "WAP", "Up" and the lead single, "Outside".[7] The decision to include "WAP" and "Up" sparked some criticism, to which Cardi B responded by tweeting that "'WAP' and 'Up' are two of [her] biggest songs [...] they deserve a home."[8]

Release and promotion

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Starting with "Money" six months after the release of Invasion of Privacy, the rapper released 12 more standalone singles and collaborations with her credited as a lead artist over the following seven years, including the Billboard Hot 100 number-one songs "WAP" (2020) and "Up" (2021). She returned in 2024 with "Like What (Freestyle)" and the top-ten single "Enough (Miami)", which were intended to herald a new era.[9] Shortly before the album announcement, she released the lead single "Outside" on June 20, 2025, which became a viral hit and earned her a top-ten placement on the Billboard Hot 100.[10] Apart from single releases, the rapper occasionally previewed snippets of other tracks on social media.[11][12]

Cardi B was inspired to name the album Am I the Drama? after the amount of "real-life drama" she had been experiencing. She also drew inspiration from a meme in the online Drag Race community, specifically a quote from Scarlet Envy said during an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Following the announcement, Cardi B's representative announced that she and Scarlet Envy had plans to collaborate in the near future. On June 27, Scarlet Envy brought Cardi B onstage on the LadyLand Festival, where the latter performed "Outside".[13][14]

Visuals

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Black birds, identified variously in the media as crows or ravens, are a major visual motif used for the album and its promotion.[15][16] The cover art depicts Cardi B in a red bodysuit with several black birds in the background. One of them is perched atop one of her shoes.[17] A CGI flock of aggressive black birds attack Cardi B, who tries to get inside a car to escape, in the album's official trailer. Jonah Krueger of Consequence and Atreyo Palit of Screen Rant wrote that the video and cover art's aesthetic were reminiscent of The Birds (1963) by Alfred Hitchcock; Krueger made an additional comparison to Home Alone 2 (1992) by Chris Columbus.[18][19] During Cardi B's appearance at the Schiaparelli fashion show in Paris in July, Cardi B brought with her a live black bird on her arm. Multiple news outlets named the bird as a raven or as a crow.[16][20] Julia Reinstein of The Cut argued that it was more likely a rook, a member of the corvid family of which ravens and crows are also a part.[21]

Track listing

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Track listing adapted from Apple Music.[22]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Outside"
3:26
22."Up"
  • Almanzar
  • Thorpe
  • Edis Selmani
  • Steed
  • Joshua Baker
  • Matthew Allen
2:36
23."WAP" (featuring Megan Thee Stallion)
3:07

Notes

  • "WAP" contains a sample of "Whores in This House" (1993), written and performed by Frank Ski.

Personnel

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Credits adapted from Apple Music.[22]

  • Belcalis Almanzar – vocals
  • Megan Pete – vocals
  • Austin Owens – programming
  • James Foye III – programming
  • Colin Leonard – mastering engineer
  • Evan LaRay Brunson[a] – recording engineer, mixing engineer
  • Leslie Brathwaite – mixing engineer
  • Shawn "Source" Jarrett – engineer

Notes

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  1. ^ Credited as either Evan LaRay or Evan LaRay Brunson, depending on the track.

References

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  1. ^ Post, Chantilly (September 26, 2022). "Cardi B Files Trademark for "Bocktails With Cardi B" Television Show". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  2. ^ Allaire, Christian (October 11, 2024). "A Look Back on Cardi B's Best Fashion Moments". Vogue. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  3. ^ Zidel, Alex (September 26, 2022). "Cardi B Feels Pressure For Next Album After Invasion of Privacy Achievement". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  4. ^ Fritzgerald, Trent (September 16, 2019). "Cardi B Wants to Have Another Child After Her Next Tour". XXL. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  5. ^ Cowen, Trace William (February 6, 2025). "Cardi B & Pardison Fontaine Unveil "Toot It Up"". Complex Networks. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  6. ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (April 1, 2025). "Cardi B Teases 'Surprising' Features on Her Sophomore Album". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  7. ^ Aswad, Jem (June 23, 2025). "Cardi B Announces New Album Am I the Drama? and Release Date". Variety. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  8. ^ Saponara, Michael (June 26, 2025). "Cardi B Explains Why 'WAP,' 'Up' Are on New Album 'Am I the Drama?'". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  9. ^ Saponara, Michael (July 5, 2024). "Cardi B Faces Copyright Lawsuit Over "Enough (Miami)"". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  10. ^ Trust, Gary (June 30, 2025). "Alex Warren's 'Ordinary' No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 for Fourth Week". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  11. ^ Kaufman, Gil (December 13, 2022). "Cardi B Drops New Song Snippet As Early Christmas Present For 'Starving' Fans". Billboard. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  12. ^ Nevares, Gabriel Bras (November 9, 2024). "Cardi B Drops New Song Snippet To Celebrate Grammy Nomination". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  13. ^ Nevares, Gabriel Bras (June 28, 2025). "Cardi B Rocks The LadyLand Stage After "Am I The Drama?" Announcement". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  14. ^ "Does Cardi B's 'Am I the Drama?' album title reference 'Drag Race' queen? Rapper 'loves Scarlet Envy'". EW.com. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  15. ^ "Cardi B, a live crow, and Schiaparelli's monochrome vision open Paris couture week". AP News. July 7, 2025. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Cardi B Nods to Her Upcoming Album at Schiaparelli Show During Paris Fashion Week with Unusual Plus-One: A Raven". People.com. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  17. ^ Conteh, Mankaprr (June 23, 2025). "Cardi B Finally Announces New Album 'Am I the Drama?,' Shares Release Date and Cover Art". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  18. ^ "Cardi B Finally Announces New Album Am I the Drama?". Consequence. June 23, 2025. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  19. ^ Palit, Atreyo (July 2, 2025). "Cardi B's New Album Pays Tribute To A 1962 Horror Classic - And Fans Are Loving It". ScreenRant. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  20. ^ Reinstein, Julia (July 7, 2025). "Cardi B's Fashion Week Plus-One Is a Bird". The Cut. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  21. ^ Reinstein, Julia (July 7, 2025). "Cardi B's Fashion Week Plus-One Is a Bird". The Cut. Archived from the original on July 10, 2025. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
  22. ^ a b "Am I the Drama? - Album by Cardi B". United States: Apple Music. September 19, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
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