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Michael Buckner / Contributor via Getty Images and Matt Winkelmeyer / Staff via Getty Images
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Cardi B at the Hollywood Impact Awards and Taylor Swift at the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards
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Key Takeaways:
- Cardi B expressed relief and humor after learning Taylor Swift’s album will release weeks after hers.
- Fans are speculating about the strategic timing of both releases and how it could affect chart performance.
- Cardi’s forthcoming album AM I THE DRAMA? drops on Sept. 19, with her second pre-release single “Imaginary Players” coming out on Friday (Aug. 15).
Cardi B is relieved Taylor Swift’s album is dropping after hers. On Wednesday (Aug. 13) evening, the “Up” rapper reacted to news that the pop icon’s The Life of a Showgirl is dropping on Oct. 3, just two weeks after AM I THE DRAMA? arrives on streaming services.
Cardi quote-tweeted Swift’s announcement with a photo of SpongeBob out of breath and clip from Scary Movie of Regina Hall saying, “Thank you, Lord.” It’s no secret the Swifties go hard for their favorite artist, especially when it comes to helping her secure the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200.

In fact, Swift already holds the record for most No. 1 albums by a woman — a whopping 14 as of February — according to Business Insider. Cardi obviously doesn’t have that deep of a catalog, but there’s no denying the Bronx rapper’s capability to pull in massive numbers.
Cardi’s forthcoming album I AM THE DRAMA? is expected to drop on Sept. 19. Before that, she’s gifting fans a new single called “Imaginary Players” on Friday (Aug. 15). During an X Spaces session on Wednesday, the Bronx rapper teased that she had the upcoming track approved by “the one and only,” presumably referring to JAY-Z himself.
“This song is like a staple for me,” Cardi said of the track, mentioning that it will be “kind of long” in comparison to what we’re used to. “If he didn’t approve it, I probably wouldn’t [have] even [felt] a certain type of way, 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.”
Other records that will be housed on AM I THE DRAMA? include “Outside,” which debuted at the start of summer, plus hits like “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion and “Up.”
