Am I The Drama? by Cardi B

Cardi B Am I The Drama?

70
ChoruScore
11 reviews
Sep 19, 2025
Release Date
Atlantic Records
Label

Cardi B's Am I The Drama? arrives as a brazen, feature-heavy statement that turns celebrity spectacle and personal fallout into combustible pop-rap theater. Across professional reviews, critics identify the record's sharpest moments as those that trade in vindictive wit and candid vulnerability - qualities most evident on tracks like “Dead (feat. Summer Walker)”, “Pick It Up (feat. Selena Gomez)” and “Man Of Your Word (feat. Dougie F)” - which repeatedly surface in conversations about the best songs on Am I The Drama?.

The critical consensus lands squarely in mixed-to-positive territory, with a 69.73/100 score compiled from 11 professional reviews. Reviewers consistently praise Cardi's theatrical aggression and the album's sonic versatility, noting how drill and trap production, G-funk tinges and pop-leaning synths create high-octane highlights such as “Magnet” and “Pretty & Petty”. Critics also point to moments of genuine candor - songs like “Man Of Your Word” and “Shower Tears” supply maternal vulnerability and divorce-era introspection that complicate her diva persona.

At the same time, several reviews raise objections: some critics call out bloat, reliance on features, and occasional nostalgia-forging imitation that dulls Cardi's charisma. While outlets like Rolling Stone and The Guardian hail the record's confrontational energy and standout duets, NME and The Line of Best Fit find uneven pacing and filler among the 23 tracks. Taken together, the reviews suggest Am I The Drama? is worth attention for its confrontational highs and feature-driven peaks, even if its sprawl prevents it from feeling completely essential.

Below, the detailed reviews unpack where the album's revenge-fueled bravado and confessional impulses succeed and where they fray.

Critics' Top Tracks

The standout songs that made critics take notice

1

Dead (feat. Summer Walker)

6 mentions

"She kicks off the album with “Dead,” opening with a collage of news reports about her"
Rolling Stone
2

Outside

2 mentions

"And then there’s the Southern-club raunch of “Outside,” with the vicious hook"
Rolling Stone
3

Pick It Up (feat. Selena Gomez)

4 mentions

"She duets with Selena Gomez on the high-spirited synth-pop banger “Pick It Up,”"
Rolling Stone
She kicks off the album with “Dead,” opening with a collage of news reports about her
R
Rolling Stone
about "Dead (feat. Summer Walker)"
Read full review
6 mentions
88% sentiment

Track Ratings

How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.

View:
1

Dead (feat. Summer Walker)

6 mentions
100
04:27
2

Hello

5 mentions
59
02:35
3

Magnet

7 mentions
100
02:58
4

Pick It Up (feat. Selena Gomez)

4 mentions
100
02:40
5

Imaginary Playerz

5 mentions
34
03:27
6

Bodega Baddie

9 mentions
100
01:44
7

Salute

3 mentions
50
02:34
8

Safe (feat. Kehlani)

4 mentions
100
02:57
9

Man Of Your Word (feat. Dougie F)

5 mentions
100
03:41
10

What's Goin On (feat. Lizzo)

5 mentions
100
03:24
11

Shower Tears (feat. Summer Walker)

3 mentions
99
03:27
12

Outside

2 mentions
100
03:26
13

Pretty & Petty

7 mentions
100
03:03
14

Better Than You (feat. Cash Cobain)

3 mentions
89
04:01
15

On My Back (feat. Lourdiz)

2 mentions
100
03:51
16

ErrTime

4 mentions
58
02:26
17

Check Please

2 mentions
72
02:01
18

Principal (feat. Janet Jackson)

5 mentions
52
02:17
19

Trophies

3 mentions
03:02
20

Nice Guy (feat. Tyla)

2 mentions
40
03:16
21

Killin You Hoes

3 mentions
27
03:49
22

Up

5 mentions
66
02:36
23

WAP (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)

4 mentions
61
03:07

What Critics Are Saying

Deep insights from 13 critics who reviewed this album

AllMusic logo

AllMusic

Unknown
Sep 25, 2025
70

Critic's Take

Cardi B returns with Am I The Drama?, a bruising, funny, and often unfiltered record where the best tracks — notably “Magnet”, “ErrTime” and “On My Back” — deliver the album's fiercest moments. The review revels in Cardi's rabid snarl and quotables, praising how hardcore rapping and monstrous bass make songs like “Outside” and “Bodega Baddie” hit as both viral standouts and chest-thumping anthems. Where she softens up, collaborations such as “Man Of Your Word” and “Safe” add genuine vulnerability and melodic relief, rounding out why listeners ask about the best songs on Am I The Drama?. Overall, it is not as immediate as her debut but it delivers high-octane production, razor-sharp bars, and highlight tracks that define the album.

Key Points

  • The best song moments are the explicit, aggressive highlights like "Magnet", "ErrTime", and "On My Back" for their quotables and ferocious delivery.
  • The album's core strengths are high-impact production, relentless bars, and moments of vulnerability provided by melodic guest features.

Themes

personal drama infidelity motherhood aggression/boastful bravado vulnerability

Critic's Take

Cardi B’s Am I The Drama? showcases occasional highs but is mostly weighed down by bloat and bad decisions. The reviewer points to “Pretty & Petty” and “Hello” as moments where Cardi’s comedy and mafioso drill instincts land, while tender cuts like “Man Of Your Word” and “Shower Tears” show glimpses of storytelling maturity. Yet the record often drags, recycles past tricks and half-asseses other people’s legacies, leaving few truly essential best songs on Am I The Drama?. Overall, the best tracks are the ones that lean into her braggadocio and emotional candour rather than the bloated, feature-heavy misfires.

Key Points

  • The best song is the one where Cardi’s comedic wit and braggadocio land, exemplified by “Pretty & Petty”.
  • The album’s strengths are occasional sharp drill beats and candid moments, but these are undermined by bloat, mismatched features and derivative choices.

Themes

drill and trap production celebrity drama and feuds maternal and personal vulnerability feature-driven collaborations nostalgia and imitation
Pitchfork logo

Pitchfork

Unknown
Sep 23, 2025
66

Critic's Take

Cardi B leans into vindictive glee on Am I The Drama?, and the best songs on Am I The Drama? are the ones that let her savage wit stalk the beat. Tracks like “Pretty & Petty” and “Dead” showcase her prickly, punishing diss work and theatrical flair, while bright bursts such as “Bodega Baddie” and “Salute” prove she can flirt with new styles without losing legibility. The record rewards the moments when Cardi relishes retaliation and lets delivery rescue cliché, which is why those tracks register as the album's standouts.

Key Points

  • The best song is "Pretty & Petty" because its hook and punishing verses combine virality with ruthless lyrical strikes.
  • The album's core strength is Cardi's delivery and relish for revenge, which rescues cliché and makes experimental bursts feel coherent.

Themes

revenge grudge celebrity spectacle New York rap revival

Critic's Take

On Am I the Drama?, Cardi B turns her divorce into some of the record’s sharpest moments, with songs like “Man Of Your Word”, “What’s Goin On” and “Shower Tears” standing out for candor and vulnerability. The album’s joyfully rowdy pugnacity and filthy silliness keep momentum, while collaborations such as “Safe” add a complementary singer-rapper counterpoint. If you search for the best tracks on Am I the Drama?, those mid-album confessions and the sparring, G-funk-tinged “Pretty & Petty” are the moments that stick. The record feels polished and professional even when Cardi is at her most spiteful and comic, which is precisely the tension that makes these tracks memorable.

Key Points

  • The mid-album trio - “Man Of Your Word”, “What’s Goin On”, “Shower Tears” - is the emotional core and best set of songs.
  • Cardi’s strengths are brash personality, candid vulnerability, and polished pop-rap craft that make spiteful, comic tracks compelling.

Themes

divorce and infidelity female empowerment and rivalry vulnerability vs brashness genre-hopping/pop-rap craft

Critic's Take

Cardi B arrives with Am I the Drama?, an ambitious, messy 23-track statement that stakes claim to fame, gossip and resilience while showcasing clear highs. The review highlights the best tracks as the opener “Hello” - a brash reintroduction - and the club-ready attack of “Magnet”, alongside the surprising tenderness of “Pick It Up” with Selena Gomez. The record is strongest when it pairs spectacle with sincerity, from the confession of “Man Of Your Word” to the warmth of “What’s Goin’ On” with Lizzo, moments that prove Cardi still turns noise into music. Though sprawling and uneven at times, the album’s emotional range and moments of real vulnerability make these songs the clearest standouts.

Key Points

  • The best song(s) are the ones that blend spectacle with sincerity, notably “Hello” and “Magnet” for their immediate impact and clear framing of the album.
  • The album’s core strength is its emotional range - moving from club bangers to confessional ballads, reflecting Cardi’s multiplicity and reclamation of narrative.

Themes

fame and spectacle vulnerability vs bravado public scrutiny emotional range authorship/reclamation

Critic's Take

In a voice alternately combative and reflective Steven J. Horowitz finds that Cardi B’s Am I The Drama? stakes its claim with bold storytelling and club-ready venom. He elevates the emotional center in “Man Of Your Word”, praises the opener “Dead” for setting an uncompromising tone, and flags “Magnet” and “Pretty & Petty” as sharp, unapologetic moments of confrontation. The review insists these are the best tracks on Am I The Drama? because they balance real vulnerability with Cardi’s signature comedic and lyrical bite. Overall, Horowitz presents the album as a career-affirming, unflinching statement that avoids a sophomore slump.

Key Points

  • The best song is "Man Of Your Word" because it serves as the album's emotional centerpiece and reconciles public drama with personal growth.
  • The album’s core strengths are Cardi's commanding charisma, sharp one-liners, and the balance of vulnerability with braggadocio.
The Guardian logo

The Guardian

Unknown
Sep 19, 2025
80

Critic's Take

From the first bar of Am I the Drama? Cardi B demolishes any notion she has lost her edge, and the review makes clear the best songs - notably “Dead” and “What’s Goin On” - showcase her ferocity and wit. The record’s eclecticism, moving from the bright pop of “What’s Goin On” to the warp-speed salsa of “Bodega Baddie”, feels purposeful rather than confused. Even where the album flags, as on the Janet Jackson collaboration “Principal”, the prevailing impression is of imperiously raw and powerful material. For listeners asking which are the best tracks on Am I the Drama?, the bruising opener “Dead” and the Lizzo-assisted “What’s Goin On” are repeatedly stamped as highlights.

Key Points

  • The opener “Dead” is best for its ferocious, entertainingly vicious flow and lyrical bite.
  • The album’s core strength is purposeful eclecticism that pairs raw, witty lyrics with diverse musical backdrops.
Consequence logo

Consequence

Unknown
Sep 19, 2025
75

Critic's Take

Cardi B arrives on Am I the Drama? unapologetic and combative, leaning into feuds and spectacle with hits like “Dead” and “Pretty & Petty”. The review revels in Cardi's relish for confrontation, praising how “Dead” pairs Summer Walker's soaring hooks with Cardi's venomous bars and how “Magnet” and “Pretty & Petty” sharpen her attack on rivals. It reads as a portrait of a star who refuses silence - this record is Cardi giving the energy people begged her not to give. If you search for the best songs on Am I the Drama?, the review clearly points to “Dead”, “Magnet”, and “Pretty & Petty” as the album's most potent moments.

Key Points

  • The best song, "Dead," pairs Summer Walker’s passionate hook with Cardi’s fiercest bars, making it the album’s emotional and sonic centerpiece.
  • The album’s core strengths are Cardi’s unapologetic persona and weaponized feuds, delivered with sharp lyricism and bold production.

Themes

celebrity controversy revenge and retaliation public persona rap beefs
Clash Music logo

Clash Music

Unknown
Sep 19, 2025
70

Critic's Take

It’s arresting how Cardi B frames Am I The Drama? as a sprawling, confessional memoir that finds its stride in the mid-section. The review prizes the vibrant pop of “Pick It Up” and the confident home-territory swagger of “Bodega Baddie”, and flags features like Kehlani on “Safe” and Summer Walker on “Shower Tears” as the album’s catalytic moments. While some cuts - “Hello” and “Imaginary Playerz” - struggle to assert themselves, the record ultimately gestures toward a new career plateau for Cardi B, powered by bold collaborations and unmistakable personality.

Key Points

  • The best song is 'Pick It Up' because its vibrant vocals and collaboration make it an immediate highlight.
  • The album’s core strengths are confident solo moments and transformative features that lift the record into a new chapter.

Themes

personal turmoil motherhood divorce features-driven strength confessional memoir

Critic's Take

Cardi B approaches Am I The Drama? like someone trying to recapture past momentum, and the best songs - notably “WAP” and “Bodega Baddie” - are the ones that actually stick. Franzini writes with a weary bluntness, noting that while “WAP” still holds up, much of the album meanders and leans on features and samples instead of sustained vitality. The review points to moments of fun - the relentless energy of “Bodega Baddie”, the enduring alliterative punch of “Up” - but concludes that the record rarely matches the spark of her debut.

Key Points

  • The best song is “WAP” because it still 'holds up' and carries much of the album's impact.
  • The album's core strengths are moments of brash fun and memorable hooks, but overall it relies too much on features and nostalgia instead of sustained charisma.

Themes

nostalgia collaborations commercialism vs artistry diminished charisma
Rolling Stone logo

Rolling Stone

Unknown
Sep 18, 2025
90

Critic's Take

In a giddy, bloodier-than-ever comeback, Cardi B turns Am I The Drama? into a chest-thumping highlight reel, with standouts like “Dead” and “Safe” anchoring its best cuts. The review revels in Cardi’s theatrical threats and tenderness, praising the synth-pop fizz of “Pick It Up” and the poignant duet “Safe” as proof she can be furious and vulnerable in equal measure. The album’s best songs are the ones that let her bite and brood and flirt simultaneously, which is exactly what keeps listeners searching for the best tracks on Am I The Drama?.

Key Points

  • “Dead” is the best song because it sets the album’s combative tone with vivid, quotable bravado and a memorable Summer Walker hook.
  • The album’s core strengths are Cardi’s larger-than-life personality, genre-hopping ambition, and ability to be both vicious and tender.

Themes

revenge celebration diva persona romance sonic versatility