Cardi releases highly anticipated ‘Am I the Drama?’ album

Cardi B appears at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif., on March 12, 2023. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

LOS ANGELES — Seven years after her landmark debut “Invasion of Privacy,” Cardi B has returned. And, in typical fashion, she’s doing it with plenty of spectacle.

The Grammy winner made her long-awaited sophomore album “Am I the Drama?,” released Friday, feel like prime-time theater. Friday’s release arrived days after she revealed she revealed her fourth pregnancy — her first child with New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs — and barely two weeks after she emerged victorious from a Los Angeles courtroom.

With a title that nods to the scrutiny that has trailed her career, Cardi B channels the swirl of headlines into music that doubles down on her strengths: blunt confidence, playful wit and sharp-edged bravado. The 23-track project features collaborations with Janet Jackson, Lizzo, Selena Gomez, Megan Thee Stallion, Cash Cobain, Kehlani, Summer Walker and Tyla.

Cardi B threads in past hits like “Up” and “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion. That choice sparked criticism online for padding the album with older material.

However, Cardi B, never one to duck an argument, clapped back on X in June:

“This will be the last and only time I’m gonna address this…‘WAP’ and ‘Up’ are two of my biggest songs…they deserve a home.” She added, “These two songs don’t even count for first week sales so what are yall even crying about???… Now let them eat cake. Go cry about it!!!”

Alongside those chart-toppers, Cardi unleashed fresh tracks too. The chest-thumping “Outside” and the breezier “Imaginary Playerz” showcase her range between hard-hitting anthems and smoother, radio-ready flows.

Cardi’s personal life has only amplified the spotlight. Her relationship with Diggs — who joined the Patriots this season after years as one of the NFL’s top receivers — has drawn as much attention off the field as on it. The couple kept a low profile until this week’s pregnancy reveal, marking their first child together.

The announcement capped a turbulent stretch for Cardi B, who also prevailed this month in a lawsuit filed by a security guard alleging assault during a doctor’s visit while she was secretly pregnant years ago. The courtroom win and public reveal only sharpen the backdrop for “Am I the Drama?”, an album that leans into the very question that has hovered over her career.

The rap star has three children from her previous marriage with rapper Offset: daughters Blossom, 1, and Kulture, 7, and son Wave, 4. Diggs also has a daughter from a previous relationship, Nova, who was born in 2016.

Cardi B will now take all of her momentum into the Little Miss Drama Tour, her first arena tour. The 30-plus date trek begins Feb. 11 in Palm Desert, California, and wraps in Atlanta in April, with stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Toronto.

Jonathan Landrum Jr., The Associated Press