Cardi B recently released Imaginary Playerz from her upcoming sophomore album, Am I the Drama? on August 15, 2025. For the unversed, the track samples Jay-Z’s 1997 song Imaginary Players with Cardi’s music video embodying similar vibes to that of Hov’s.
Moreover, following the release of her latest song, Jay-Z’s Imaginary Players witnessed a 305% increase in Spotify streams between August 15 to August 17, 2025. On the other hand, according to AllHipHop’s report dated August 17, 2025, Cardi’s song ranked at No. 56 on Apple Music and No. 147 on the Spotify U.S. chart, marking underwhelming numbers despite sampling Jay-Z’s track.
Jay-Z’s “Imaginary Players” has seen a +305% increase in Spotify streams in the US since Cardi B dropped “Imaginary Playerz” 📈 pic.twitter.com/5f8Ir9LB11
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) August 18, 2025
Netizens quickly took to X to express their opinions on Hov’s 1997 release, gaining traction following Cardi B’s Imaginary Playerz‘s release, wherein an X user reflected on the female rapper’s streams,
Cardi B reflects on releasing Imaginary Playerz and the importance of Jay-Z’s approval ahead of sophomore album
Multiple media tabloids likened the theme of Cardi B’s Imaginary Playerz to that of Jay-Z’s 1997 track Imaginary Players, where Hov called out fraudulent rappers in the industry who’d flex about success and wealth they didn’t possess.
Talking about why she chose to release the track over other singles on her sophomore album, Cardi mentioned in a recent livestream:
“I had to come like this, I had to come strong, and shi*ting on you b*tches. I love this record and I don’t give a f*ck what nobody say and i’m standing on that, yall can suck my di*k and I know I ate that sh*t.”
The Up rapper has dubbed Imaginary Playerz as a “very hip-hop record”, admitting that it is a staple in her catalog. Moreover, Cardi B opened up about how she perfected the Jay-Z-sampled single before releasing it.
Cardi’s Am I the Drama? album cover (Image via Instagram/ @iamcardib)
She mentioned that she took her time with Imaginary Playerz, thinking, “Oh my god, I got to make sure that this song is good’ because I have to f*cking to get it approved by the one and only.”
Reflecting on how important Jay-Z’s approval was for her, Cardi mentioned:
“If he (Hov) didn’t approve it, I probably wouldn’t even feel a certain type of way neither, because it would have been like, ‘Okay, maybe I just had to come a little bit harder.’ But I’m glad that I came hard and he loved it and everybody else love it.”
The WAP rapper also shared how someone came up to her and said that when she announced she was doing Imaginary Playerz, they were nervous; however, Cardi “ate that.”
Cardi B’s sophomore album, Am I the Drama? releases on September 19, 2025, and will consist of 23 tracks. So far, Cardi has released another single called Outside from the upcoming album, and it made headlines owing to netizens speculating that some of the song’s lyrics targeted her ex-husband, Offset.
