Cardi B is gearing up to drop her latest rap single, “Imaginary Players,” on Friday, August 15th. She recently revealed on X Spaces that the track received an essential nod of approval from “the one and only,” a subtle hint widely believed to be JAY-Z. The Grammy winner shared that several influential hip-hop artists had already heard the song and were highly impressed, describing it as a significant piece for her career. Her main goal was to secure his endorsement before its public release.
Cardi B candidly admitted that rejection wouldn’t have deterred her, stating it would have only fueled her drive to create something even stronger. “If he didn’t approve it, I probably wouldn’t [have] even [felt] a certain type of way [either], because it’s like, ‘OK, maybe I just had to come a little bit harder,’” she explained. “But I’m glad that I came hard and he loved it.”
The title of the new track is a direct reference to JAY-Z’s 1997 song from his album In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. While Cardi B hasn’t detailed the connection between the two songs, she has alluded to the challenging journey of bringing “Imaginary Players” to fruition. During a recent Instagram Live session, she hinted at the complexities, telling fans, “If only y’all knew the story of what I had to go through with this single.”
She emphasized her determination to release this particular track, even when faced with suggestions to explore a different creative path. “I fought really hard to put this song out because some people wanted a different direction, but it’s like, I want my next single to be more of a Hip Hop direction,” she stated.
“Imaginary Players” is set to follow her summer release, “Outside.” Both tracks will be featured on her forthcoming 23-song album, AM I THE DRAMA?. The album will also include fan favorites “WAP” and “Up” as bonus tracks.
