Why did Invasion of Privacy win Best Rap Album?

I am, regrettably, a consumer of Youtube Shorts. Inbetween the nonsense, spam, TV show clips, and my other interests, it will show me people discussing my main interest, music. Nearly every one of them acts like Cardi B is middling at best. I understand why your average redditor or Youtube commenter would trash talk her, but the vitriol towards her still shocks me. From the way people talk about her you’d think her career was an embarrassment on the level of Vanilla Ice. From the way people talk about her winning the Grammy for Best Rap Album you’d think she was Macklemore. I think these extreme views warrant an examination of her success and why she won Best Rap Album at the 2019 Grammys.

In 2017, Trump was president. The Obama-era pop boom was killed with flops from Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, and (albeit to a lesser extent) Taylor Swift. That year hip-hop became the most popular genre in America. Instead of Max Martin pop smashes, the years hits were Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles”, Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO Tour Life”, Migos’ “Bad and Boujee”, and Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow”.

Cardi B had achieved minor fame as a star on VH1’s Love and Hip-Hop, and she transitioned her career to music with two mixtapes in late 2016. In 2017 she hopped on a major label, and debuted with a number one hit. “Bodak Yellow” was not just a surprise smash from a relative unknown, it was the first number one from a solo female rapper since Lauryn Hill’s “Doo-Wop (That Thing)” (Nicki Minaj came close in 2014 with “Anaconda” but was blocked at number two by “Shake it Off”). Cardi B earns her place in the same sentence as the legendary Lauryn Hill. On “Bodak Yellow” she yoinks a flow from Kodak Black’s “No Flockin” and handily outdoes him. Cardi’s chorus alone tells so much about her narrative, how she’s gone from a dancer who moves for money to someone who makes money move. How she’s stepped on everyone in her path, and how she’ll step on anyone else who doesn’t know their place. Cardi backs up these claims with a cool demeanor. She doesn’t need to scare or attack you with a threat, so she just gives a subtle reminder. The verses contrast this with an aggressive performance and fun, unique brags like, “Got a bag and fixed my teeth, hope you hoes know it ain’t cheap”. Multiple publications ranked Bodak Yellow as 2017’s best song, and while it has stiff competition, it’s a solid pick.

2017 also saw Hurricane Maria devastate Puerto Rico. The island’s recovery was hampered by a mixture of racism and incompetence from the Trump administration, bringing national attention to San Juan. “I Like It” would have been a hit regardless, but the context matters. Representing her Puerto Rican identity would be cool of Cardi B normally, but in 2018 it was an urgent message. The sample, Pete Rodriguez’s “I Like It Like That” is not just a killer grab, but evidence of just how long Puerto Rican artists have been relevant and excellent. Features from Bad Bunny and J Balvin act as evidence that Puerto Rican artists are killing it to this day. Both of these guests are incredible gets, especially because neither of them had broken into the English-speaking market. J Balvin would soon do so with his global smash “Mi Gente” and his fantastic album Vibras. Though it would take longer for Bad Bunny, he would become the biggest artist on the planet with albums like YHLQMDLG (I HIGHLY reccomend “Safaera”) and Un Verano Sin Ti (I HIGHLY recommend “Despues De La Playa”). Putting the world onto these two great artists is an incredible service on top of an already amazing song.

2018 would see Cardi B release her album, Invasion of Privacy, and as a whole, it’s a solid album. “Get Up 10” is a great opener where Cardi B uses her past as a stripper in the same way most rappers use a past life of crime, a salacious starting point for a come-up narrative. And for all the lines she has about the pressure she feels, her rise to fame, and other rappers, the best line is the funniest, “real bitch, only thing fake is the boobs!” “Drip” sees Cardi working with Migos at their peak for a fine song, and “Best Life” is a reminder of just how great Chance the Rapper was. The true highlight is a lesser-performing single, “Be Careful”. The song delves into her long-time relationship with fellow rapper and Migos member Offset, and even if you don’t follow the tabloids the song should be an indicator that their relationship isn’t the healthiest. The song expresses anger, regret and sadness with raw, profanity-laden truth. People have written about toxic relationships, but “Be Careful” has a power to affect me in a way I can only compare to Kendrick Lamar’s art piece track “We Cry Together”. The writing and performances are so sharp it hurts.

The nominees for Best Rap Album at the 2019 Grammys were all great. While I’m unfamiliar with his album Victory Lap, I have the utmost respect for the late Nipsey Hussle. Pusha T’s Daytona is my favorite of the nominees (I absolutely adore “If You Know, You Know”), even if it bears the taint of Ye West being the album’s executive producer (that hurt the album’s Grammy winning odds as well, even if Ye wearing a MAGA hat and saying slavery was a choice looks tame next to his outright naziism). I haven’t listened to Swimming enough to speak on its quality, but I’ve enjoyed everything I have listened to, and Mac Miller’s tragic passing gave the album a strong emotional connection to the tragic reality. ASTROWORLD is perhaps the least objectionable of the nominees. Hussle was too regional, Push was too controversial (this was also the year of the brutal “The Story of Adidon”), Miller bore the stink of being a white artist in a Black genre while also having an album which could be considered too melodic, Cardi B was too sexual, and that left Travis Scott. His album was great, perhaps the best of the bunch, but awards are as much about narrative as quality, and narratives need a good protagonist, so it’s worth asking: who is Travis Scott?

Travis Scott is a Houston-born rapper and singer, who went from an idol of Ye West and Kid Cudi to a collaborator of both. That’s about all I have to say about Travis Scott as a person. His music is solid, and I am very fond of his debut album Rodeo, but if you were to ask me, he’s just somebody who makes good music. The greatest critique of ASTROWORLD is a symptom of Scott’s lack of mystique, that despite his good performances and fantastic production the albums highlights are usually the guest appearences. Comparing that to Invasion of Privacy, the point becomes clearer. While the features are good, Cardi’s forceful personality anchors the record in her narrative. On Invasion of Privacy you see a woman leap up the social ladder, and understand what her aspirations of reaching the top means for her.

I believe awards like the Grammys should do at least one of two things: bestow honor or send a message. That year, Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour won album of the year, upsetting a good few people. I would have given it to Janelle Monae’s Dirty Computer (one of my favorite albums, I cannot reccomend it highly enough), but ultimately I’m okay with the result. Golden Hour is a praiseworthy album, and giving it that prestige sent a message that after a decade dominated by “Bro Country” it was time for women to regain the spotlight in Country Music. I view Cardi B’s win of Best Rap Album in a similar vein. As of now, seven total women have been nominated for Best Rap Album. Invasion of Privacy’s nomination was the twelth time an album by a woman was nominated out of 120 total nominees at the time. Today the former total has increased by one (due to Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal) meaning albums by women represent less than one percent of the category’s nominees since its creation. The only winner before Cardi B was Lauryn Hill, who won as a member of The Fugees, a group with her and two men. Missy Elliot never won, Nicki Minaj never won, Queen Latifah hadn’t been nominated, MC Lyte hadn’t been nominated, and Lauryn Hill’s solo album wasn’t considered for the category. Women had been killing it in hip-hop for decades, and had seen little for it. Women deserved something.

But even without the politics, Invasion was a fine choice. While ASTROWORLD is a better album, Cardi B’s ascent was undeniable. She wen't from a reality TV star to music’s A-list over two years. The only other artist whose rise I can compare to hers is 50 Cent, and he had co-signs from Dr. Dre and Eminem. With those boons, 50 had song off his first album go diamond. Cardi B has two. (Three if you count “Girls Like You” by Maroon 5, which she features on. I don’t. Not because she’s just a feature, but because that song sucks)

Invasion of Privacy won Best Rap Album because it’s good. Cardi B deserved kudos, and the award sent a message as well. Labels paid attention to the critical and commercial success she recieved. If Invasion flopped and Cardi B was a flash-in-the-pan, I doubt that labels would take a chance on Glorilla, Megan Thee Stallion, or Doechii. Invasion of Privacy is a landmark album for hip-hop and popular music broadly. It deserves to be remembered as such.

P.S. “WAP” is a 10/10 song. Fight me.