Cardi B Tests Billboard Math With Inclusion of Two Very Old Songs in New Album
(June 24, 2025) — While the world weighs heavier issues, Bronx rapper Cardi B has given both her Bardi Gang and her haters something new to dissect: the chart-savvy — or desperate, depending on who you ask — decision to include two “old” former No. 1 hits on her long-awaited sophomore album. And the move could tip the scales for Am I The Drama? when it lands this September.
Announced Monday (June 23), Am I The Drama? is set for release on Friday, September 19 — with enough lead time to allow her to get her features cleared and to tweak the track list, and just in time to make the eligibility cutoff for the 2026 Grammy Awards. Cardi’s name alone makes it a likely contender for Best Rap Album, especially in a year that’s been relatively quiet for marquee hip-hop drops.
The new project — her first full-length since 2018’s blockbuster Invasion of Privacy — features 23 tracks, including the just-released single “Outside,” which hit streaming platforms on Friday (June 20) and is expected to debut somewhere in the top 20 of the Hot 100 chart dated July 5.
But it’s not “Outside,” her scathing take on her breakup with husband Offset, that’s got fans and foes buzzing. It’s the inclusion of two familiar juggernauts: 2020’s “WAP” and 2021’s “Up.” Both songs hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 and have gone multi-platinum — eight times for “WAP,” two for “Up.” Their presence on an album dropping nearly five years later has been praised by fans as a savvy business flex — and derided by critics as a signal that Cardi’s hit-making streak might be losing steam.
Either way, there’s no doubt the decision will impact Am I The Drama?’s numbers — the only debate is how much, and whether it’ll actually matter in the long run.
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Billboard Album Chart Impact
To understand how the inclusion of “WAP” and “Up” might affect Cardi’s opening week totals, we need to revisit Billboard’s rules.
For the Billboard 200 album chart, digital downloads and streams of individual tracks only count toward the album’s weekly total if they occur within the tracking window. For Am I The Drama?, that means plays between Friday, September 19 and Thursday, September 25 (and each week thereafter).
So, streams of “WAP” or “Up” from 2020 through now? Irrelevant for the first-week tally. Even downloads and plays happening between now and release day won’t count. Only those logged during the album’s official debut week and beyond will factor in.
That rule also applies to “Outside,” which technically becomes the album’s third single — even though it was released three months in advance.
Still, the buzz seems to be giving “WAP” a new wind — it re-entered the iTunes Top 10 on Monday and sat at No. 5 as of press time. “Up” similarly reentered and is in the iTunes Top 20.
Up Your “WAP” Game: Breaking Down Every “WAP” Metaphor and Euphemism
Related: When Nicki Minaj Played the Chart Game to Juice the Numbers… and Failed
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What About RIAA Certifications?
Here’s where things tilt in Cardi’s favor.
The RIAA — which audits album sales and issues official certifications of gold, platinum, and diamond — does include digital downloads and streaming numbers from previously released singles in its tally for album sales. That means “WAP” and “Up” can (and will) help Am I The Drama? reach certification thresholds before the album even drops.
While the exact math gets tricky, a general 10-to-1 ratio is used: ten single sales (or their streaming equivalents) count as one album unit. Given that “WAP” and “Up” have been certified for a combined 10 million units, that’s roughly a million album-equivalent units already banked for Am I The Drama?
It doesn’t matter that the singles came out years ago. Unless the RIAA changes its policy to only count singles released within, say, 12 months of an album, Cardi’s album walks into the game with platinum already in hand.
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Why Not Include “Enough (Miami)” and “Bongos”?
The short answer? They didn’t deliver.
While “WAP” and “Up” were undeniable hits, 2023’s “Enough (Miami)” and the Megan Thee Stallion collab “Bongos” fell short — both commercially and critically. Neither went gold, let alone platinum. Including them on Am I The Drama? would undercut Cardi’s chances of repeating one of her proudest flexes: Invasion of Privacy became the first album ever to have every track certified platinum or better.
That’s a crown she and Atlantic Records clearly want to protect. Padding the tracklist with underperformers could blow that shot. Better to go with the bangers — even if they’re old.
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Why All the Drama?
Cardi doesn’t just want a No. 1 debut — she needs a big one.
Invasion of Privacy opened with 255,000 album-equivalent units and has since gone 4x platinum. It made history, won a Best Rap Album Grammy, and cemented Cardi’s status as a chart force. But matching — or even approaching — that success will require more than a couple of old hits and a strategic release date.
“WAP” and “Up” might get Am I The Drama? to platinum before release, but recent singles like “Outside” suggest the momentum may be fading. If “Outside” can’t crack the Hot 100’s top ten next week, as projections indicate, Cardi’s comeback may face an uphill climb — despite the certified help.
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Bottom Line:
In the end, Cardi B is playing both the long and short games — padding her stats with past wins while trying to score a new one with Am I The Drama? Whether that strategy translates to chart-topping dominance or just a platinum participation trophy will depend on what the rest of the album delivers — and how ready fans are to crown Cardi once again.
DJRob
DJRob (he/him) is a freelance music blogger from the East Coast who covers R&B, hip-hop, disco, pop, rock and country genres – plus lots of music news and current stuff! You can follow him on Bluesky at @djrobblog.bsky.social, X (formerly Twitter) at @djrobblog, on Facebook or on Meta’s Threads.
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