Fans think Cardi B is giving clues about her next album in recent photos

NME

Cardi B has been seen channelling Princess Diana and Aaliyah in recent photos – and fans think she is giving clues about her upcoming album.

• READ MORE: Cardi B – ‘Invasion Of Privacy’ Review: A confident and compelling debut from the Bronx rapper

The rapper was recently photographed sporting a short pixie cut along with a vintage Harvard sweatshirt, shorts and trainers – reminiscent of the iconic outfit worn by the late Princess back in 1997.

Cardi was also seen at the Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards with a hairstyle some fans think is similar to Aaliyah’s signature fringe, which swept across half of her face.

Hmmm , Cardi B recreating a look from not only Princess Diana but also Aaliyah in the same week can’t be a coincidence
@iamcardib pic.twitter.com/5e5Qv4Fwg7

— REDARZ (@redbarrz) June 25, 2024

On X/Twitter, numerous users thought that the ‘Bodak Yellow’ artist was hinting that her long-awaited second album would be released on either Diana’s birthday (July 1) or the anniversary of her death (August 31).

There is also a theory that Cardi is teasing a collaboration with Ice Spice – who likened herself to Lady Di’ “in the ‘hood” on ‘Princess Diana’ from her debut EP, ‘Like…?’.

Others shared their belief that – when you include her sampling Missy Elliott‘s 1999 track ‘She’s A Bitch’ on her ‘Like What (Freestyle)’ – Cardi’s upcoming record will be ’90s-themed. Check out a selection of fan reactions below.

So July 1 or Aug 31? Talk to me Ken is this one of the signs pic.twitter.com/ZJLrh4vK6l

— Ti (@Ti_SuchaLady) June 25, 2024

YALL THESE ARE THE HINTSSS! First AALIYAH NOW PRINCESS DIANA… is the album gonna have a 90s/00s feel bc yall know LIKE WHAT WAS GIVEN MISSY

— Chelle (@Michell02410743) June 25, 2024

This has to be a clue

— Cardi B | Fan Account (@Imtwofly4ya) June 25, 2024

Not the Bronx girls collab confirmed

— End Facism Stan Cardi B (@shesbardi) June 25, 2024

ITS AN ICE SPICE COLLAB OMG-

— Cardiisshook (@Cardiisshook) June 25, 2024

Cardi always pays homage to people who have great influences in our lives. Princess Di will always be the people's princess.

— BardiGang4life (@love4Bardi) June 25, 2024

• READ MORE: Remembering the Princess of R&B: 20 of Aaliyah’s best pop culture moments ever

Recently, the 31-year-old shared a video in which she rapped an unreleased song, while dressed in the all-black ensemble that she wore to the Hollywood Unlocked Awards ceremony.

She captioned the clip, “Loose Rap” – which is also the name of a track from Aaliyah’s last eponymous studio album before she passed away in a plane crash in August 2001.

LOOSE RAP. pic.twitter.com/IfaDq9pzSR

— Cardi B (@iamcardib) June 23, 2024

Cardi B has been working on her second album for six years. In May, she said she was delaying the release of the record in a now-deleted tweet.

“Anyway, NO album this year,” she wrote. “I don’t care. I’m relaxing this year. [I’m] dropping these features I already committed to and travelling and enjoying my summer.”

But this was revealed to be untrue when a representative for the rapper said that an album was still on the cards for this year. It was also made known that the LP had no title and needed a few more songs added to it.

The untitled project will be the follow-up to Cardi’s 2018 record-breaking debut ‘Invasion Of Privacy’. The release won Best Rap Album at the 2019 Grammys, making Cardi the first-ever solo female act to win the award.

She spoke about the album’s delay in her cover story with Rolling Stone: “I take my music so fucking seriously that that’s why I don’t put it out.

“If it’s not perfect to my ear, if every fucking word doesn’t sound like it’s pronounced right, if the beat is overpowering the words or the words is overpowering the beat, I don’t want to put it out.”

Earlier this year, she shared two pop-trap singles from the LP: ‘Enough (Miami)’ and ‘Like What (Freestyle)’ – the latter sampling Missy Elliott’s 1999 hit ‘She’s A Bitch’.

Additionally, songs such as 2022’s ‘Hot Shit’ featuring Lil Durk and Kanye West, the 2020 chart-topping controversial hit ‘WAP’ with Megan Thee Stallion, and the upbeat 2021 single ‘UP’ will apparently feature on the album.

In other news, Cardi featured on the remix to Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla‘s viral track, ‘Wanna Be’. She allegedly took a jab at rapper-songwriter Bia, saying: “Thought she was on the shelf, Ikea/ Hope she talk like that when I see her/ Bitch, please don’t nobody wanna be her.”

Bia responded with her own diss video on X/Twitter, freestyling over Cardi and her husband Offset‘s 2019 song, ‘Clout’. She also tweeted: “Bitches is wack. Bitches is trash. I should hang bitches right over my knee, the way I be puttin’ my belt to the ass [laughing emojis].”

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