Why Nicki Minaj's New Music Benefits Cardi B (And Vice Versa)

The Cardi vs. Nicki argument has brewed at least since Cardi topped the charts with her breakout single “Bodak Yellow” in September, and it’s reached a fever pitch in the six days since she dropped her debut album, Invasion of Privacy. It’s easy to see why people are so quick to lump both rappers into the same category: They were both raised in New York, they both did huge numbers with their debut albums, and … they’re both women.

That’s all that matters, right?

As reductive as the comparison sounds, those three elements have been more than enough for fans to incessantly pit Cardi and Minaj against each other. (Actually, forget about the album sales: People see “woman” and “rapper” in the same sentence, and they start drawing parallels.) Fans and haters alike have used social media to hype up the imaginary feud, despite the fact that both artists have publicly denied any bad blood, explicitly complimented each other’s work and, you know, appeared on a track together (Migos’ “Motorsport,” which hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 last year).Now, as Minaj returns to the music world with two new singles, “Barbie Tingz” and “Chun-Li,” some of those same fans and haters are bound to perceive it as an attempt to sabotage Cardi B’s first week sales for Invasion of Privacy. But Minaj’s new singles won’t hurt Cardi’s commercial bow. Instead, their new releases will benefit each other because they’ll force listeners to reckon with the fact that, yes, two female artists can release music during the same week and both succeed.

When Nicki Minaj dropped her debut album, Pink Friday, in 2010, it seemed like women finally had a formidable champion to root for in the rap world. Not since Missy Elliott nearly a decade prior had a female MC dazzled with spitfire raps, dizzying punchlines and the right pop sensibilities to send her to the top of the charts. Pink Friday debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 375,000 copies in its first week, eventually topping the chart, while “Super Bass” became the sleeper hit of the summer, peaking at No. 3 on the Hot 100 and eventually going 8x platinum in the United States alone.

Minaj topped the charts again with her next album, 2012’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, while her 2014 full-length The Pinkprint peaked at No. 2. She sent four other singles into the Top 10 as well, falling just short of the top spot with her biggest hit, “Anaconda,” which peaked at No. 2. But despite all the platinum plaques, the Grammy nominations, the streaming records and the Forbes Hip-Hop Cash Kings appearances, Minaj’s success didn’t spark a paradigm shift in the rap world. She alone shouldered the burden for commercially viable female rappers, jostling for the same respect that her male counterparts commanded as a legitimate successor failed to materialize.

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Enter Cardi B. The self-made Bronx native documented every step of her ascension up the ladder of stardom, from stripper to social media celebrity to reality TV personality to chart-topping rapper. Her debut Atlantic Records single, “Bodak Yellow,” has gone 5x platinum, making Invasion of Privacy eligible for a Gold certification from the RIAA the second it dropped. “Bodak” sales notwithstanding, Privacy is pacing for a No. 1 debut, and it’s easy to imagine several of its tracks contending for this year’s coveted Song of the Summer title.

With her brash personality, hilarious catchphrases and seemingly endless volley of solo hits and guest verses, Cardi B seems like the closest thing we have to a perfect star, created in an incubator and thrust out into the world ready to steal headlines. So it’s a shame that some people refuse to appreciate her on her own merit and instead feel compelled to stack her up against Minaj. Oh, Cardi has Chance the Rapper and SZA features on her debut? Minaj had Kanye West, Eminem, Rihanna and Drake on hers! Frankly, the comparisons are exhausting, petty and counterproductive.

The truth is, Minaj’s new singles won’t affect Cardi’s albums sales in any discernible way, since 1) they’re coming out almost a full sales frame later, and 2) they’re an entirely different medium (album vs. single, duh). And if fans are really concerned about their commercial prospects, get this: They can stream both artists at the same time. It takes roughly an hour to listen to “Barbie Tingz,” “Chun-Li” and all of Invasion of Privacy in one sitting. You could do that three times in a row and make a grilled cheese sandwich in the time it takes to sit through Chris Brown’s Heartbreak on a Full Moon. I think we all know what the better choice is.

In a genre where different men can trade the top spot on the Billboard 200 every week, listeners still treat successful female rappers like a novelty, a pleasant but ultimately inferior change from the status quo. That myopic viewpoint inhibits people from allowing two women to thrive on the charts at the same time, instead prompting a slew of unnecessary and unproductive comparisons. But Cardi B and Nicki Minaj’s releases aren’t an excuse to pit the artists against each other. It’s an opportunity to celebrate their successes and allow them to flourish simultaneously.

It’s rare to see a woman dominate the rap game the way Nicki Minaj and Cardi B have. It’s nearly unprecedented to see two of them do it at once. Now, the public’s reaction will determine whether there’s room for more than two women to succeed at the same time.

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When Nicki Minaj dropped her debut album, Pink Friday, in 2010, it seemed like women finally had a formidable champion to root for in the rap world. Not since Missy Elliott nearly a decade prior had a female MC dazzled with spitfire raps, dizzying punchlines and the right pop sensibilities to send her to the top of the charts. Pink Friday debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 375,000 copies in its first week, eventually topping the chart, while “Super Bass” became the sleeper hit of the summer, peaking at No. 3 on the Hot 100 and eventually going 8x platinum in the United States alone.

Minaj topped the charts again with her next album, 2012’s Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, while her 2014 full-length The Pinkprint peaked at No. 2. She sent four other singles into the Top 10 as well, falling just short of the top spot with her biggest hit, “Anaconda,” which peaked at No. 2. But despite all the platinum plaques, the Grammy nominations, the streaming records and the Forbes Hip-Hop Cash Kings appearances, Minaj’s success didn’t spark a paradigm shift in the rap world. She alone shouldered the burden for commercially viable female rappers, jostling for the same respect that her male counterparts commanded as a legitimate successor failed to materialize.Enter Cardi B. The self-made Bronx native documented every step of her ascension up the ladder of stardom, from stripper to social media celebrity to reality TV personality to chart-topping rapper. Her debut Atlantic Records single, “Bodak Yellow,” has gone 5x platinum, making Invasion of Privacy eligible for a Gold certification from the RIAA the second it dropped. “Bodak” sales notwithstanding, Privacy is pacing for a No. 1 debut, and it’s easy to imagine several of its tracks contending for this year’s coveted Song of the Summer title.With her brash personality, hilarious catchphrases and seemingly endless volley of solo hits and guest verses, Cardi B seems like the closest thing we have to a perfect star, created in an incubator and thrust out into the world ready to steal headlines. So it’s a shame that some people refuse to appreciate her on her own merit and instead feel compelled to stack her up against Minaj. Oh, Cardi has Chance the Rapper and SZA features on her debut? Minaj had Kanye West, Eminem, Rihanna and Drake on hers! Frankly, the comparisons are exhausting, petty and counterproductive.The truth is, Minaj’s new singles won’t affect Cardi’s albums sales in any discernible way, since 1) they’re coming out almost a full sales frame later, and 2) they’re an entirely different medium (album vs. single, duh). And if fans are really concerned about their commercial prospects, get this: They can stream both artists at the same time. It takes roughly an hour to listen to “Barbie Tingz,” “Chun-Li” and all of Invasion of Privacy in one sitting. You could do that three times in a row and make a grilled cheese sandwich in the time it takes to sit through Chris Brown’s Heartbreak on a Full Moon. I think we all know what the better choice is.In a genre where different men can trade the top spot on the Billboard 200 every week, listeners still treat successful female rappers like a novelty, a pleasant but ultimately inferior change from the status quo. That myopic viewpoint inhibits people from allowing two women to thrive on the charts at the same time, instead prompting a slew of unnecessary and unproductive comparisons. But Cardi B and Nicki Minaj’s releases aren’t an excuse to pit the artists against each other. It’s an opportunity to celebrate their successes and allow them to flourish simultaneously.

It’s rare to see a woman dominate the rap game the way Nicki Minaj and Cardi B have. It’s nearly unprecedented to see two of them do it at once. Now, the public’s reaction will determine whether there’s room for more than two women to succeed at the same time.