Cardi B Defends Adding 'WAP' and 'Up' to Upcoming Album: 'They Deserve a Home'

Cardi B
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Cardi B is clearing up the details on her highly anticipated second studio album and why she's ensuring two of her biggest hits have an official spot on the track list.

The rapper confronted X amid a wave of backlash from fans breaking out following her announcement that the singles "WAP" and "Up" would be included on her new release, "Am I the Drama?," due out Sept. 19.

"This will be the last and only time I'm gonna address this," Cardi wrote, emphasizing that fans had long asked for both tracks to be included. "'WAP' and 'Up' are two of my biggest songs, my fans have been asking me to put them on an album."

Listeners will often look for the tracks on her debut album, "Invasion of Privacy," but can't find them, she said. "They deserve a home," she said.

"WAP," her chart-topping collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion, came in 2020 and opened at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first female rap collaboration to do so.

The following year, "Up" hit the top spot as well for one week and got Cardi a Grammy nod for best rap performance.

Despite their success, neither track had previously been included on an album. Cardi admitted she once held back "WAP" from Grammy consideration due to criticism. "I let haters make me not submit 'WAP' for the Grammys and at this point I'm giving my fans what they want," she said.

She also made it clear that adding older singles will not count toward the first-week sales tally. "So what are yall even crying about???" Cardi posted. "Do ya say anything when all these artist pull out all their little tricks and ponies to sell out??? Exactly.... Now let them eat cake. Go cry about it!!!"

Cardi Nods To Scarlet Envy With Album Title

"Am I the Drama?" is a viral catchphrase from "RuPaul's Drag Race" star Scarlet Envy in the promo for "All Stars 6. The inspiration was confirmed by Cardi's representative, who stated that she's a Scarlet fan and that the two are in talks for a possible partnership, according to Entertainment Weekly.

The cheeky nod spread like wildfire on social media, with queens like Jan and Luxx Noir London reacting to the crossover. "scarlet envy i am shaking," Jan said on Instagram about the album cover.

Cardi told fans she created the song while "very, very angry," and released it only because fans demanded it. "If y'all wouldn't have asked for it, I wouldn't have put it out," she said in a video on Instagram Stories.

With more surprises in store, Cardi said she's "100 percent confident" about the new album. "I just don't think what I got is out there."

Tags
Cardi B, New Album
Join the Discussion