"I think people really underestimate how smart I am, or how much input I have on everything that I do," said Cardi, 33. "I really am the chess piece to what I do. People don't understand how I pull things off, but it's just my mind."
The rapper, who recently released her long-awaited second album Am I the Drama?, reflected on how much she has grown in the eight years since her debut Invasion of Privacy. The new project, she explained, reflects a more mature and intentional version of herself. "I grew so much. I had a couple of kids. Now I'm really in the industry. I was navigating it, understanding it, learning it," she said.
Cardi admitted that when she first released Invasion of Privacy in 2018, she didn't fully grasp the magnitude of creating an album. "People have to remember I didn't even understand what the big deal was about putting out an album. I thought it was just about releasing a project," she said. The record went on to earn her the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2019.
This time, however, Cardi was deliberate with her song choices. "With Am I the Drama?, I understood how serious it was. All these songs I personally love. These are the songs I picked from a selection," she explained. Unlike her debut, which she said she rushed to finish before giving birth to her daughter Kulture, she took her time with this new body of work, allowing herself space to grow as an artist and a person.
Over the past seven years, Cardi says she has evolved , becoming a mother, a businesswoman, and a "real grown-up." She also reflected on life during the pandemic, saying it taught her "the value of family and yourself."
Cardi will take Am I the Drama? on the road next year with her Little Miss Drama Tour, kicking off in February 2026 and wrapping in April.