From stripper and ghetto lady to strikemaker: How a girl from the Bronx became hip-hop’s most authentic voice and changed the game forever.
But is she good or very overrated?
The world of hip-hop has had its fair share of persons gain fame, that sprinkler but nothing quite compares to the stunning success of Cardi B. Once a stripper, she has certainly come a long way to winning Grammy awards. But, the question that appears on everyone’s lips to date is whether Cardi B is truly a rapper or just a beneficiary of fame hailing from the reality show. Alright, let me explain without varnish that most of the industry professionals are too scared to provide.
The Raw Appeal of Cardi B’s Style
Whenever Cardi B enters on the scene, she lets you know it is her. That distinct Bronx accent, the unfiltered attitude, and those ad-libs that have characterized her are “OKURRR!” Anyone? Yes, many may argue against it or perhaps not to be a fan of it, however, the overall sound in this industry in which fake imitations are abundant is undefinable.
On songs like, ‘Bodak Yellow’, Ariana has a natural feeling and movement that is also good to listen to. It is worth mentioning that there is not a pretentious note in how she speaks her lines – it seems as if she is not acting. Where most rappers build fictional alternate identities, Cardi remains as close to the hood as the neighborhood that made her famous, warts and all.
However, can it be said that mere authenticity brings someone such accolade of being a good rapper? Technical skill is also important though it can be viewed as one of the key components of the overall board qualification.
Technical Skills: Where the Bronx Bombshell Falls Short
Now, let’s be a bit realistic – Cardi B is not winning any awards for rhyme complex freedom. The rhyme patterning used in her verses is simple; rarely complex and using raw metaphors, while witty at times, is not as gripping as that used by other artists in this particular genre.
Take “WAP” for example. The song stormed its way to streaming records and was a never-ending topic of discussion not necessarily due to its innovation. The lyrics they portray are simplistic, clichéd and pistol, and do not offer anything more than offensiveness to the ears in terms of metaphors, tales and storytelling as seen in rapping.
Her rhythm and melody can also be monotonous sometimes. In some instances where she tries to change the pace such as in the ‘Changed The Locks’ song the outcome is mediocre. She nails it perfectly on the song, I Like It’, while on ‘Ozumba (Lempira) it is like she is searching for her rhythm in the beats.
Commercial Success vs. Artistic Merit
The statistics do not deceive – since her emergence at the mainstream chart industry, Cardi has been conquering every chart. I guess success does, you know, in terms of surveys, hits, record sales, stream numbers, show contacts, and earnings – probably she has got it all. However, what can be popular among audiences and viewers may not always be artistic and vice versa.
What Cardi is good at is putting together moments – in essence, cultural signposts to moments that goes beyond the music. Thus, “Bodak Yellow” was not just a song but a phenomenon. “WAP” was not just a song; it was a disc jockey opener. However, it cannot be argued that she has the ability to suss out a movement and turn it into music for the charts.
However, if we are to stick solely to how much rap talent Cardi possesses, then one can find herself significantly inferior to such muses like Nicki Minaj, Lauryn Hill or even modern top-tier musicians, or Megan Thee Stallion to name one, who can rap significantly better.
The Charisma Factor: Cardi’s Secret Weapon
Despite not being the most technical of rappers, one cannot help but fall in love with Cardi B because of her personality. Safaree’s encompassing personality does not just support her music but enhances it to produce a rather unique result. This aspect overrides virtually any other flaws one might identify in her performance.
This isn’t a small thing. Evidence has always been given to presence and persona in addition to the technical proficiency in hip-hop. Many of the favorite musicians of this genre were not the best players, but they had personality which made people sought to listen to their music.
Cardi has this in spades. Her interviews do not elicit fascination because she is telling the truth or offering great revelations, but because of how she delivers absolutely any line, even if it is plain and trivial. This translates to her music where one can vividly see her personality hiking on verses that may not sound as juicy if sung by any other personality.
Growth Potential: Has Cardi Peaked Already?
Another issue that may be cause for concern in Cardi’s career is the concept of growth as an artist. Since the painting “Invasion of Privacy”, has she been established as a new woman and/ or an artist? This experience shows that she has a limited growth in terms of her technical advancement as well as her conceptual understanding.
This behavior is quite incomparable to artists like Kendrick Lamar or even J. Cole, who show artistic growth between their different projects. One has to note that their early pieces, although very good, are not as well-executed as the ones they produced later on. What is also less easy to identify in the case of Cardi is this kind of progression.
Her recent schemes and Singles quite largely depend on the same scheme that made her famous initially. As for this not being an issue from a business perspective (if you are not in the depths, there is no reason to improve), then it does evoke questions about her alter-ego’s sustainability in a realm that is all about change.
The Authenticity Paradox
In a way Cardi’s biggest asset as a rapper is also her biggest weakness – she is too real. She even rap in same manner as she talks, think, and how she finds herself living. It makes her vulnerable to her fans who embrace her controversial nature; it also limits form-making possibilities to some extent.
It is rather fascinating that instead of learning everything about the profession and training herself, Cardi is perfectly fine with letting talent guide her. This is more of an insight as it has been her natural tendency led her to places most artists do not strive to get.
But the great question that arises here is that without technical form, can she sustain herself beyond the personality propelled success, which she currently enjoys?
The Verdict: Overrated Yet Undeniable
So, is Cardi B a good rapper? The answer isn’t black and white.
In terms of skills, she may be considered as ordinary or even less than ordinary. She has a unique style of rap while her lyrical content is often quite basic and her conceptual ideas are narrow to those of the upper echelon of rap.
Moreover, rap is not only the matter of perfect mastery of some techniques. It is concerning influence, interaction, and popularity that have to do with culture in particular, an aspect in which Cardi outperforms most of her counterparts. She has produced songs that became a hit with many people and introduced a completely new sound to hip-hop music industry.
Is she overrated? Of course if you want to consider it by simply rapping ability. It is true that the song is performed or sung by the talents of this young lady who is also slammed by purists who deny the fact that she has brought this or that to the table; She has a natural and sheer antralian which is syle that resonates with people.
Verdict: Cardi B may not be reshaping the generative field and advancing the creative potential of rap as a musical style, but she actively contributes to extending the audience that the genre can relate to. One thing that is quite endearing in the club is that she is always real, she is unapologetic of the technical issues she faces, yet she continues to create beautiful music.
Despite controversies surrounding her actions, and possible controversy surrounding this freestyle, Cardi B cannot be stopped. She may not be positioned as one of the technical beings of the genre, but she had her niche that no other person could have filled. That’s the thing counts for something even if she is not the best rapper alive.
What do you think? Is Cardi B getting the credit she deserves, or is she all personality and no substance? Drop your thoughts in the comments below – just keep it respectful, or I’ll have to hit you with my own “OKURRR!”
