‘Imaginary Playerz’: Cardi B Reveals How She Got Jay-Z’s Blessing for Her Album

Cardi B’s new single, a tribute to Jay-Z’s ’97 hit, comes with a unique backstory of the rapper getting his “blessing” to use the sample.

August 15, 2025: “Imaginary Playerz,” Cardi B’s latest track, is now out on all major streaming sites. The song is a teaser of her second album, Am I the Drama?, which will come out on September 19.

The Grammy-winning singer unveiled the track on Monday, August 11, with a picture of herself in a fancy white fur coat sitting on a matching Rolls Royce. The fancy picture, which was posted on Instagram, with the comment “Just a little taste of the drama.” IMAGINARY PLAYERZ THIS FRIDAY.

A nod to a hip-hop legend

The new song takes a sample from Jay-Z’s famous song “Imaginary Players” from his 1997 album In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. Cardi B said that the hip-hop mogul himself had given her a personal mark of approval. “If he didn’t approve it, I probably wouldn’t feel a certain way either, because it’s like, ‘Okay, maybe I just had to come a little bit harder,’” she added. She was glad that she “came hard and he loved it.”

What You Should Know About Cardi B’s New Album, “Am I the Drama?” This is Cardi B’s first album since her 2018 debut, “Invasion of Privacy.” There will be 23 songs on the upcoming LP, including her singles “Up” and “WAP.” Cardi B justified her choice to include these already-released tracks by saying on X that her fans have been asking for them for a long time and that they “deserve a home” on an album.

“Outside,” the album’s first song, was out earlier this summer and made it into the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Before the album comes out on September 19, we don’t know if Cardi B will put out a third song.