Cardi B stuns with new single 'Imaginary Playerz', faces backlash from hip hop fanatics

Multi-award-winning rapper Cardi B has just dropped her new single, "Imaginary Playerz", the second single from her upcoming album, "Am I The Drama?".

The new album is set to be released next month, nearly seven years after her groundbreaking debut, "Invasion of Privacy".

"Imaginary Playerz", which was produced by DJ SwanQo, Sean Island and OctaneThisThatGas, also comes with a music video that Cardi B co-directed alongside Patience Foster. 

To celebrate the release, Cardi B is set to host a special one-hour takeover of Apple Music Radio where she will curate music that she loves. 

In addition to her new music, she has sold out various limited-edition merchandise box sets, which includes a collaboration with WWE. 

This comes hot on the heels of her debut as a host at WWE SummerSlam earlier this month, where she hinted at additional new songs from her upcoming album. 

Back in June, Cardi B also released her first track from the new album, titled "Outside". The song quickly became a hit, debuting in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching number one on Apple Music.

Cardi B is currently the highest-certified female rapper on the RIAA's Top Artists (Digital Singles) chart, boasting over 100 million RIAA-certified units sold and three diamond certifications. 

However, not all feedback about her recent work has been positive.

Recently, Joe Budden, a veteran rapper and podcast host, shared his thoughts on "Imaginary Playerz". 

On his show, Budden expressed concern about Cardi B sampling Jay-Z’s classic song "Imaginary Players", arguing that such legendary songs should not be reworked.

He said: "Don't take any East Coast top three, four rapper beat, classic song, and redo that.... We're gonna shout out the writers. The writers killed. This is not about the writers … The bars are there. That wasn't enough." 

Listen to the song below: