Cardi B, a 24-year-old New York rapper signed to Atlantic Records, with just two mixtapes and a handful of features to her name, has just topped the Billboard Hot 100 with her breakout single "Bodak Yellow," a menacing, inescapable hit that's dominated streaming services and airwaves alike throughout the last three months.
This is a pretty big deal for a number of reasons, least of all that "Bodak Yellow" unseats pop mega-force Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do," which drops to No. 3 on the chart this week. Today, the former Love & Hip Hop: New York star joins the ranks of Hill, Lil' Kim, Shawnna, and Iggy Azalea as the only female rappers to top the chart ever, and she's only the second female rapper in history to take the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100 without a feature, joining Lauryn Hill in that particular ultra-exclusive club. (Hill's song chart-topper: the timeless "Doo Wop (That Thing).")
The Grammy winner who's been making hits with Chance, Vic Mensa, and Joey Purp is stepping out solo on his debut album, Paradise.
The "Bodak Yellow" path to dominance took 12 full weeks and a number of officially sanctioned remixes (the "Latin Trap Remix," which featured Messiah alongside Cardi, and last week's Kodak Black rework), not to mention a clever last-minute iTunes discount, all of which likely pushed the single to the top. Many fans were quick to note that Swift discounted her own single at the last minute, perhaps in an attempt to snatch the crown back before the moment had passed, but the late-game move seems to have not quite paid off.
Here's what really matters, though: It's been years since fans have showed such profound interest in a chart battle. How often do you hear your friends campaigning on a song's behalf so loudly and proudly? We're not saying the Hot 100 placement came down to good versus evil this week, but there's something admirably David-and-Goliath-esque in Cardi B (and her devoted, incredibly passionate fans) toppling Taylor Swift from the front of the pack. For one, the Latina rapper is relatively unknown and mostly unproven as a performer—"Bodak Yellow" is unquestionably the only way most casual music listeners know her—whereas Swift is, well, Taylor Swift.
That's not to say "Bodak Yellow" is a one-and-done deal for Cardi. She's shown versatility and dexterity as a rapper on recent verses, including an extremely manic spitfire appearance on Phresher's "Right Now." Cardi also steals the spotlight from G-Eazy and A$AP Rocky on their bouncing "No Limit," and she pays reverent homage to Miami legend Trina on Juicy J's new mixtape standout "Kamasutra". (Warning: It's filthy and fun as hell.)
Of course, Cardi's time at the top could be short-lived— Post Malone's new single "Rockstar" debuted just one spot below "Bodak Yellow" this week, essentially breathing down its neck at the top of the charts. But that's no reason not to celebrate. Congratulations to Cardi B and "Bodak Yellow," the little song that could—and did.
