The new single is notable for a few reasons, not least because it's been more than five years since the release of her debut album, Invasion of Privacy.
Cardi hasn't been totally quiet — she's guested on a few singles, and released the Megan Thee Stallion collab "Bongos" last year — but from her POV, she took it easy during 2023, and she explained why during a recent episode of 360 with Speedy.
“I just feel like I lost myself, like, with everything," Cardi said, elaborating that "music commenters" and "a lot of people" were saying, "‘She’s afraid to drop an album, she’s afraid to drop music.’"
“Like last year, I barely dropped music. It’s just like I was just afraid to do everything.”
“I was afraid to go live, I was afraid to post a picture, I was afraid to go to the club, and then the next day seeing people, what they going to say about me, and everything. I was afraid to do everything."
Cardi also revealed that she recorded a remix of Ice Spice's "Munch" last year, but ultimately decided not to release it. "I love the record, I did not like how I sound," she explained.
"You know, it being on a drill beat, it’s not as easy as it look… I was like, ‘They’re gonna drag me, and they’re going to drag the song bad.’”
Cardi also specified that, despite maintaining a lower profile musically, she never really took a break from social media — but she has become a little more careful when it comes to what she talks about.
“I love talking about politics and everything," she said, before continuing, "I don’t even want to talk about it anymore because I’m just so afraid of just getting dragged every single fucking day — like, I’m tired."
