Cardi B Pays Homage to Hip-Hop Legends in Her “Like What” Music Video
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
Cardi B knows when to give credit where credit is due.
The rap superstar surprised fans on Friday by dropping a new track, “Like What (Freestyle).” The song and its video (directed by her husband, rapper Offset) pay tribute to some of the formative women in hip-hop who came before Cardi. The track itself samples Missy Elliott’s “She’s a Bitch,” the first single from Elliott’s 1999 sophomore album Da Real World. Cardi paid visual homage to the “Work It” rapper in the video as well, sporting crystal-encrusted eyebrows—a look Elliott wore at the height of her career.
Cardi also showed love to one of her biggest musical inspirations, Lil’ Kim, with another of the video’s standout looks. In the clip, Cardi struts around a mansion in a floor-grazing printed fur coat and skin-baring swimsuit, a fan-favorite look that Kim donned for her 2003 video for “Came Back for You.”
This simultaneous tribute to two of the reigning queens of Y2K-era hip-hop isn't just a nostalgia play. Both Elliott and Lil’ Kim have been known as influential icons within rap, fashion, and beauty—something Cardi has also achieved since breaking out with “Bodak Yellow” in 2018. (See any of her memorable Met Gala looks or past years’ Paris Fashion Week appearances for proof). Fans have waited years for Cardi’s full-length sophomore follow-up to her Grammy-winning debut, Invasion of Privacy, and now she is ready to remind the world that few rule the rap game like she does—and what’s to come will be worth the wait.
You Might Also Like
