Diamond Times Three

With her diamond plaques – ten million units sold – Cardi B definitely breathes some lonely, rarified air indeed.

Her single “I Like It,” featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin, has solidified her place among her peers as a bonafide uber hitmaker.

Though her first, and to date only album dropped nearly four years ago, Cardi has collectected deposits from various sources, including endorsement deals.

Cardi B is savvy enough to know the music landscape has shifted to a single intensive business model. While albums seem to be bloated, and complete with filler at times, she knows she can eat off of the sales of her singles from an album from years ago. That’s beautiful.

As a woman, she has surpassed other artists outside the genre, and ties Katy Perry for the same feat. Cardi “remember[s] like it was yesterday when this song went #1 and now it’s Diamond,” the rapstress remarked.

This should set a precedent for not only female hip hop artists, but all genres, and other men, too. While she had been featured in the diamond Maroon 5 song “Girls Like You,” her other two diamond plaques come from her being the lead, including “Bodak Yellow.”

Though other artists like Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliot, and Nicki Minaj have scored awards for their efforts, Cardi remains the only female rapper to understand she can excel on the charts with this achievement.

When it comes to the sheer number of calculations she has been able to make in her relatively brief career, Cardi B knows exactly what she wants to do in this industry often plagued by subjective haters and backstabbers.

She has the knowledge to differentiate between what will bring her the most money, and what will give her only critical acclaim. She has garnered mostly positive reviews for her singular album collection.

Cardi has seen the landscape of rap/hip hop albums mired down in trap angst and grunts from the underworld. She has suggested artists lighten up the mood and start going back to the origins of rap with the party aspect.

One big way the diamond plaques will revolutionize the game is to show that while the genre has gone past ringtone rap for the most part, Cardi B has found a sizable and bankable niche with just singles.

If she can continue to drop songs people can feel, she may have the potential to make even more money. The interaction between the rapper’s ability on the mic, and her ability to tap into the market’s idea of dealing primarily with her audience, she will find even more power as a pioneering person.

It’s possible the only way for Cardi to continue her reign of taking one song and have it blow up on the charts is to just keep making records as a producer on the landscape. This isn’t the sense of a music producer making instrumentals but a person who creates independently.

Cardi B has already proven she has the strategy to master the game. She completes the task of being a woman in a male-dominated arena, acknowledging she can become the leader despite the challenges she faces as a woman. The greatest number of ladies in the business have had to fight their way to their posts as earned queens.

When it comes to Cardi B, the best way to describe her is she’s a hustler. She knows her role in the game, and can match with the best of them. As a cultural phenomenon, she has decided to bring her mind to the forefront and become a revolutionary force within the framework of hip hop.