Crews 
Cardi B is less than two weeks away from the release of her highly anticipated sophomore album ‘Am I The Drama?,’ and now the Hip Hop hitmaker is sitting down with Billboard to dish on the album, and much more!
In the latest issue of the magazine, Cardi opens up on everything from motherhood, divorce, dating, growth since her first album, inspiring upcoming female rappers, and drama with other female rappers.
She also opens up on turning down the Super Bowl Halftime Show, and if she’d reconsider, teases her potential upcoming tour, what fans can expect from the new album, and more.
Get into some of the excerpts and snaps below.
On Growth since her debut album:
Since then, I’ve experienced a lot. The good and bad of fame, the hate, jealousy, drama, balancing my career with my personal life and growing up and maturing. I’ve learned to control my emotions and understand how life works and how to play chess better.
On making over a million at shows:
A lot of people say I got comfortable because I make money, but the most money I make is when I go and do shows,” says Cardi, who tweeted in 2022 that she’d netted $1 million for a 35-minute show at a private event during Miami’s Art Basel. “I could rush and put out music like it’s nothing and then pick up millions of dollars per show, but it’s not about that. I want the music to be great. I want it to be amazing.
On doubts around the second album’s release:
Never. I always knew that I was going to drop a second album, I just didn’t have a project well put together.
My fans be like, “Oh, you should have put a project together when ‘WAP’ and ‘Up’ was out,” but I only had four records that I liked. I didn’t have an album done around that time. I’m not the kind of person that’s going to lock in in two months and complete an album. I’m very picky with my music.
On female rappers who have come after her:
So many girls come and go. They’re great, but yet [the fans are] asking for my product. Every year there’s a debate on social media about when is my album dropping. They’re not saying that about other people, so y’all need to ask them. That’s why I’m so confident.
On female rap beefs:
No lie, these b–ches be catty. You can’t prevent a b–ch from being shady. Sometimes b–ches want to see what you’re about. They want to test you and they want to test your gangsta. A lot of the b–ches will come in this game and feel like they can challenge you. Some b–ches like to die young. In this game, you need to really know who you’re challenging.
On being labeled the big 3 with Nicki Minaj, and Megan Thee Stallion:
Because I do my job well and I take my time with my music — clearly you can see that. But it’s something you’d have to ask the fans. So many [rappers] come and go, and I’m still here. You can downplay my accent, but I put a lot of thought into my work. I don’t half-ass anything I do.
On her bond with her fans:
We have a relationship where I love them. Just like how you love your family and friends, you are going to get into arguments with them. They could be a little bit annoying, like, “Aight. Now y’all doing too much,” but I really love them. They can be therapeutic. It’s so weird because I have somebody new in my life and explaining that type of relationship to my fans [can be weird], but they know me. And I know them. I don’t go by people’s approvals, but I do take my fans’ approval for certain things into consideration. It’s kind of weird. If they don’t like something or somebody, I want them to like them, but it’s like, “Why do I care? Why do I want my fans’ approval?” But that’s because they care about me a lot.
On what a Cardi B tour would look like:
I know I’m a good performer. Well, am I? No, I’m great. I’m actually really great because I was a stripper. (Laughs.) But no, I think my personal tour is not going to be like any other performances that I’ve ever had. From the aesthetics to the look to even the way I perform, I’m going to be doing things that I don’t normally do, like work out, because I want to be the best. I’ve been going to so many different tours. I went to the Madonna show and the Beyoncé show. I can’t perform like Beyoncé, but you can’t half-ass nothing.
On turning down performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show:
Of course. I got asked to do the Super Bowl and I denied it. I feel like soon, if I get to do it, I’m going to have more hits. I’m going to be more experienced and I’m going to eat that up.
On motherhood:
It turned me into a real woman. I was like, “What makes a woman? Her body? Her cooking?” It’s her maturity and her thinking. If I didn’t have kids, I wouldn’t sacrifice so much. This summer, I haven’t even put my feet in a pool. I do everything for my kids. I’m the only provider and you know what? Ain’t no complaining about it. I love them so much and they ground me. Sometimes I be so exhausted and it’s not even about work, it’s just life. If you think when you get rich you’re going to stop working, you’re never going to stop working. My mom used to be a freakin’ cashier and she used to work every single day. To this day, I still talk about how hard my mom worked. I had a very rough childhood, but my mom always made sure we ain’t go to no shelter. I want my kids to be like, “My mom made sure I had everything that I wanted.”
On Offset:
I tried. Next question.
On dating Stefon Diggs:
It was very tough, but it is what it is. It’s tough hiding. It’s tough dating in your 30s, too, but I like him. I love him, today. (Laughs.) I was always scared of dating people [because] I’ve always been in a long relationship since I was like 21.
Check out more from the interview HERE.
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Elsewhere in Cardi news, she has also unveiled new alternate covers for the album, which she’s dubbed the “courtroom edition” in honor of her being cleared of all assault allegations in a $24 million civil lawsuit this week.
