Cardi B Comes Out Shattering ‘Paid’ Shouts Against Her #1 Spot, Fans Troll Her Even Harder

Cardi B, who is more often in the news because of her personal affairs rather than her musical career, made headlines for the latter reason after an extended period. The singer’s latest track, ‘Outside,’ topped the domestic Apple Music charts recently, giving her a reason to rejoice. However, her happiness did not last long. Cardi B’s own fans accused her of securing the acclaim through wealth.

The ‘Bodak Yellow’ hitmaker got down to defending the said claim only a couple of minutes ago, as reported by Buzzing Pop on X. Responding to the allegations that her record label paid the aforementioned music streaming platform to send her latest single soaring, Cardi B said, “I have a strong fan base on Apple.” Acknowledging that she does not enjoy the same kind of popularity on Spotify, the Grammy winner doubled down on her assertion, saying that her new tune going No. 1 on Apple Music is a reflection of nothing but her talent and hard work.

The singer, furthermore, probed why her label did not pay for other artists under it to maximize profits and visibility. Not stopping her attempt at clearing her name, Cardi B explained how another one of her recent tracks, ‘Enough,’ was financially ambitious; hence, if she had to shell out dollars to make her music popular, she would have tried the tactic with that.

Despite the elaborate argument from Cardi B, netizens do not appear to be buying it.

Did Cardi B pay Apple Music to secure No. 1 spot for Outside? Fans are convinced!

The comments section of Buzzing Pop featured marred reactions to Cardi B’s justification on the matter, though none of it was in her favor. Fans stuck to their belief of the singer using her economic dominance to further her career, while also reminding her of once accepting on the radio that she pays people to play her songs. A user went as far as to call the artist out for not being able to manipulate YouTube and Spotify numbers, as the platforms have made their algorithms bot-proof. “You are not slick, shark teeth. We see right through the BC,” they said.

Meanwhile, Cardi B’s alleged scam with ‘Outside’ had one fan even questioning the credibility of the album the song will be featured on. For those not in the loop, the title will make the setlist of the hip hop prodigy’s much-anticipated second studio album, ‘Am I the Drama?’ Scheduled to drop on September 19, the album marks Cardi B’s first holistic return to music since her debut album ‘Invasion of Privacy’ (2018).

While Cardi B continued to push back against the pay-for-play accusations surrounding her newest hit, it will be interesting to see how her upcoming album houses its tracks. Whether it succeeds or flops, both the record and the song seem to have fulfilled their duties of steering conversations about Cardi B from her very turbulent personal life to her professional one.

What do you think? Did ‘Outside’ climb the charts on merit, or is there more to the story?