Am I The Drama? Cardi B Denies New Album’s ‘Drag Race’ Links

Cardi B’s team has denied the title of the artist’s new album Am I The Drama? is a reference to an iconic quote from a RuPaul’s Drag Race queen, although it’s clear the internet isn’t quite convinced.

The 32-year old announced her new album on Monday, and it wasn’t long at all before people online started making the connection to a quote Scarlet Envy made while doing media to promote All Stars 6 in 2021.

“Is it me? Am I the drama?” she asks in a clip. “I don’t think I’m the drama. Maybe I am… Am I the villain? I don’t think I’m the villain.”

As quotes from Drag Race so often tend to do, the line went viral, especially on TikTok, where it’s been lipsynced to more than 100,000 times, including by actor Nicola Coughlan and Lady Gaga herself.

Following the cover reveal, fellow drag queen Jan shared a shot of it on social media alongside the caption, “Scarlet Envy, I am shaking.”

Scarlet lapped it all up, writing “You are the drama, mamaaa.”

Cardi doesn’t think she’s the drama

Despite all this, Atlantic Music Group publicist Ashley Kalmanowitz denied any link between the album title and Scarlet’s iconic quote in a recent interview with ET.

“While Cardi’s album inspiration comes from her real-life drama, she loves Scarlet Envy and they’re in talks to work together soon,” she said.

However, this wouldn’t be the first time Cardi has referred to an online meme in her music.

In 2014 Vine (RIP), then-16 year old Mohamad Zoror recorded the sound of his mum stirring macaroni and cheese in a pot before commenting “that’s what good pussy sounds like”. Cardi masterfully referenced the phrase in her 2020 hot WAP with fellow bisexual Megan Thee Stallion, in the line “macaroni in a pot/That’s some wet ass pussy”.

Although the joke had been floating around in Black communities for years, Zoror’s Vine globalised the phrase, so much so that the lyrics on Genius.com reference the iconic, six-second video.

It’s fine, Cardi, we know you spend too much time on the internet like we do. Your secret is safe with us.