Top Dawg President, Terrence "Punch" Henderson, firmly believes that Cardi B, who released her first album on Friday, April 6, is the new Tupac.
On Twitter, the record producer and executive ruffled a few feathers when he compared the 25-year-old emcee from The Bronx to Shakur, one of the best-selling artists of all time and a widely respected poet and lyricist.
Cardi B is 2pac.— Punch TDE (@iamstillpunch) April 7, 2018
To clarify his stance, Henderson wrote an essay on DJ Booth explaining why the "Bodak Yellow" rapper is fast becoming one of the best rappers of her generation.
Cardi B Following The Steps Of Tupac
"Pac wasn't as skilled technically as some of his iconic counterparts, like a JAY-Z or Nas or B.I.G.," Henderson wrote in an op-ed. However, the "Dear Mama" singer remains to be seen as the greatest rapper of all time and he went on to explain why.
"The answer: a combination of passion, content, delivery, and HONESTY."
Cardi B has almost the same qualities in her music and in her life, he explained.
"She's a straight shooter right from the hip. Her interviews are as raw as her music. She's politically incorrect, yet, her charisma means you cannot stop watching and listening, whether you agree or disagree," he emphasized. "She says exactly what she's feeling at the time the question is delivered."
Henderson's pronouncement is not exactly unfounded. In a short period, Cardi B became a household name even before she had an album under her belt. She also entered the Billboard Hot 100 a couple of times through her singles or as a guest rapper/contributor. "Bodak Yellow," Billboard reports, became only the second solo track from a female rapper to top the Hot 100. The first one was from Lauren Hill.
In addition, Invasion of Privacy, which features 13 songs including "Bartier Cardi" and "Bodak Yellow," is receiving rave reviews from music critics.
The Guardian's Kitty Empire, in her review of Invasion of Privacy, wrote that Cardi B is shaking up hip-hop. Meanwhile, Consequence of Sound's David Sackllah says that, in her major label debut, the rapper demonstrates her raw talent and an "ear of picking up samples." While it is not exactly perfect, the album delivers hits that will be playing on the radio on repeat for months to come.
"Obviously, 'Cardi B is 2Pac' is a metaphor," Henderson added. "I'm not saying she's the heir apparent to Tupac Shakur or that she's the second coming, but Cardi B does embody a lot of Pac's best qualities and his DNA is in her blood (as it is countless artists who grew up listening to his music and watching his interviews)."
Invasion of Privacy is now available for downloads and streaming.
