Cardi B is setting the stage for her sophomore album Am I the Drama? with a bold new single, Imaginary Players, and she’s dropped a telling hint: the legendary Jay‑Z gave it his stamp of approval. During a recent X Spaces livestream, Cardi referred to gaining the green light from “the one and only,” a clear nod to the hip-hop icon behind the 1997 track of the same name.
She added that if he hadn’t approved, she’d likely have “come a little bit harder,” but ultimately celebrated the blessing, calling it meaningful validation.
Fans immediately sparked a flurry of speculation. On social media, many connected the dots between the shared song title and assumed sampling of Jay‑Z’s original. Others tossed Cardi B into the crossfire of the ongoing friction between Jay‑Z and Nicki Minaj, with some suggesting the approval was a pointed move amid that drama.
Imaginary Players launches Friday and serves as the second single ahead of the September 19 release of Am I the Drama?—the dramatic follow-up to her 2018 debut, Invasion of Privacy.
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