âIf itâs up, then itâs up, then itâs up, then itâs stuckâ is the best hook the âUpâ rap song can ever get and only Cardi B could make it vibe, yet the song is not a hit, it is way beyond it. Since her stunning comeback with âW.A.Pâ which topped the billboard hot 100 charts, the Bronx-born rapper has not failed to live up to expectation which has further elevated her status as a queen in trap music.
âCardi B likes the views from âUpâ high on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after her latest single debuted at No. 2 this week (chart dated Feb. 20)â were the exact words from Heran Mamo from the billboard. The âUpâ hit contains strong language and explicit words which the superstar used in describing her past and how she rose to stardom. However, there is more to the song than it appears to be. The hook of the song is a deliberate clap back to critics of her previous hit, âW.A.Pâ.
Before we delve into the contingents in the hit song âUpâ, let me boldly take you on a trip to memory lane (of Cardi B) for empathyâs sake. Ok, we flew down to her past and landed on July 21th, 2017 where the then 24-year-old rapper who just had over 7million followers on social media had a Q&A on Instagram about her Doâs and Donâts and why she should post every 2hours.
The Q&A
This Q&A may have stemmed from her past of once being a stripper and her character of having a âno filter commentaryâ, so fans were fascinated to know Cardi B at that time. When asked if she remembered her first Instagram account she vividly said âyesâ and also admitted that she usually posts promiscuous photos of herself and she does rough jokes and curses a lot, thus, making Instagram delete her account on several occasions.
Also, Cardi B was asked to describe herself with three emojis, she went on and blew the minds of her fans that she represents the evil smiley face emoji because she has a mind filled with evil and unethical thoughts, the laughing/crying emoji which represents the humorous part of her and lastly the side-eyed emoji because she gets easily pissed off every single hour daily when people do ridiculous things. She further went on to say that everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but they shouldnât cross the line by assuming things about her and telling her how to live her life.
Furthermore, she admitted that she curses everyone out and usually get depressed when she crosses path with that kind of people. She said there was nothing special about her and having the number of followers at that time makes her feel great. When asked what her best lyrics were and could make the best headline in her opinion, she replied âlittle b*tchâ âyou couldnât f*ck with me if you wanted toâ and âif you see me and I donât speak, that means I donât f*ck with youâ (most of which were cited in the lyrics of her latest song âUpâ).
You would expect the thrill to have doused but with Cardi, everything is thrilling. She said in the latter part of the Q&A that it sucks to be a little bit more filtered when asked if there is anything that she would never post. The WAP crooner ended by saying that âsheâs always on her phone 24-7, she sees and hears everything and she is the voice on the streetâ.
This Q&A typifies the real Cardi B that never backing down, always real and ready to fight for what she believes in whether right or not and she has made it known that âno oneâ can say trash about her or her work.
Most recently, a lot has been said about her and her âWAPâ hit last year, with critical comments flying here and there but the Bronx rapper remained unmoved and was emphatic with her next Hit song âUpâ, as a sign that haters are not going to get away with what was said.
Her critics in WAP
W.A.Pâ an acronym for wet a$$ pu**y, received widespread critical backlash around the United States and Europe. The song which featured Megan thee Stallion has a total of over 350 million views on youtube alone and it was believed to be fuelled by its humorously vulgar and shameless erotic video content which births lyrics like âI want you to park that big Mack truck right in this little garageâ âdrip down inside of meâ and a host of other explicit lines. Pitchforkâs contributor Lakin starling called the W.A.P song a nasty a$$ rap bop while, Los Angeles Times contributor Mikel Woods deemed it a savage, nasty, sex-positive triumph, and a host of other writers, female activists, and social conservative groups shared their displeasure. The later in his article highlighted that James P. Bradly, who happened to be a health industry executive and a Republican Congressional aspirant in California at the time said âWAPâ made him want to pour holy water in his ear and went further to say that âCardi B and Megan thee Stallion is the result of what happens when kids are raised without the knowledge of God and a strong father figureâ.
The Federalistâs Libby Emmons rated the song lowly and gave it a negative review, calling it âa slip ân slide down a rabbit hole of grossnessâ and âincredibly boring musicallyâ. Furthermore, she wrote that it was brash and unabashed, and we were possibly meant to believe itâs endowing, but what it does is dispose of the mystery in sex of mystery and eliminate seduction from the process.
Her response in âUpâ
Shortly after being crowned âWoman of the Year in 2020â by Billboard magazine, Cardi B wasted little time with her new song âUpâ. Its bubbly Southern beat became an immediate rump-shaker, with the superstar seen dancing gleefully in her glitzy new video that was directed by âWAPâs Tanu Muino. The hit song âupâ is a hip pop written by Cardi B, Joshua baker, and Jordan Thorpe. On February 5th, 2021, the song was officially released by Atlantic Records as the second rap song of her most recent second album.
On its debut, the hit solo rap was ranked number two on the Billboard top 100 charts, making the rap star the second female rap artist who has achieved that feat since Lauryn Hillâs hit song âDoo Wop (That Thing)â in 1998. The Bronx-born superstar revealed in an interview with Apple Musicâs Zane Lowe, that the song was influenced by the Chicago drill music which also inspired her first mixtape called âGangsta Bitch music vol 1â.
Lyrics of the âsmash hitâ âUpâ contains enough lyrical clap back for all her haters and still had enough fuel to make an explosive hit. Starting from the opening line âonce upon a time men, I heard that I was uglyâ I knew she was up to something. The thuggish braggadocio which she has tried to suppress has overwhelmed her again and this time it was triggered by people who have crossed the line in her opinion. Click here to view the lyrics of Cardi Bâs Up.
Some of her clap back lyrics are; âBitches say they fucking with me Chances are they probably not If I had a dick ya probably lick it like a lollipopâ and âBitches ainât fucking with me now and I can see why Dirty ass dusty ass bitch you got pink eye Bitches want smoke until I bring it to the doorstep Tell that bitch bag back breath smell like horse sexâ, with this lines she responded to the female folks who were critical of her lyrics and how it has brought the female gender backward, by saying she donât give a f**k about their opinions.
She indirectly called the guys who were critical of her song (WAP) hypocrites and pretenders with this line in her song âgotta argue with him cause a nigga love a toxic bitch, Niggas out here playing, gotta make him understand If it ainât no ring on my finger you ainât going on my Gramâ and she ended that verse with âHit him with that good good Make a nigga act right Broke boys donât deserve no pussyâ. That is low Cardi! To her fans, this will come as no surprise because this is typical Cardi B, she takes no prisoners in this song and lets it all out in her way. âUpâ is raw passion and emotion in a nexus and only Belcalis Marlenis AlmĂĄnzar can ride âUpâ on that wave.
The song was meant to hit the shockwaves of the music industry, I mean, it already has, giving the number of views, reviews, and download it has, but the real intent was to suffocate her haters and fans alike. Depends on which category you fall into you either get thrilled or annihilated. This is the âpro-maxâ of hits, it is not your regular!
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