Cardi B samples Jay-Z on ’90s-inspired new single ‘Imaginary Playerz’

Cardi B has shared a new single called ‘Imaginary Playerz’, which features a sample of the Jay-Z track by the same name.

• READ MORE: Cardi B – ‘Invasion Of Privacy’ Review: A confident and compelling debut from the Bronx rapper

The new single marks the latest preview to be shared of her long-awaited sophomore album, ‘Am I The Drama?’ – the long-awaited follow-up to her hit 2018 debut ‘Invasion of Privacy’.

Already, she has shared the song ‘Outside’ as the lead single from the record, and confirmed that the 23-track album will also include her two previously released hits ‘Up’ and ‘WAP’ with Megan Thee Stallion.

She then made an appearance at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to host night one of WWE’s SummerSlam, and used her dramatic entrance to tease another track, containing the lyrics “Hello, it’s Me’.

Now, she is back with another single to be officially shared ahead of the record’s release. Titled ‘Imaginary Playerz’, the song samples Jay-Z’s legendary “Imaginary Players” from his 1997 album ‘In My Lifetime, Vol. 1’.

She first hinted at the song at the start of the week (Monday August 11), and confirmed that it would be dropping today (August 15). “Just a lil taste of the drama. IMAGINARY PLAYERZ THIS FRIDAY,” she wrote on Instagram.

Check it out below.

As well as announcing the song, Cardi also used the post to share the cover art, which shows her in a lavish white fur coat, sitting by a Rolls-Royce.

Speaking on X/Twitter, she shared another update with fans, clarifying that she got permission from Jay-Z to sample his 1997 song in her latest release.

“If he didn’t approve it, I probably wouldn’t even feel a certain type of way neither, because it’s like, ‘OK, maybe I just had to come a little bit harder,’” she said. “But I’m glad that I came hard and he loved it.”

The new album was announced in June and is set for release on September 19 via Atlantic/Warner (and available to pre-order here).

Just a lil taste of the drama. IMAGINARY PLAYERS THIS FRIDAY pic.twitter.com/Ra0ilZPgob

— Cardi B (@iamcardib) August 11, 2025

Announcing it earlier this summer, Cardi said: “Seven years and the time has come. Seven years of love, life and loss. Seven years I gave them grace, but now, I give them hell. I learned power is not given, it’s taken. I’m shedding feathers and no more tears. I’m not back, I’m beyond. I’m not your villain, I’m your tyrant. The time is here. The time is now.”

She would then defend the inclusion of ‘WAP’ and ‘Up’ in the tracklist, adding: “My fans have been asking me to put them on an album, and people search for them on IOP all the time… they deserve a home.”

Her debut album was given a four-star review from NME back in 2018, with Nick Levine writing: “Overall, this is a remarkably confident and compelling debut from a superstar who’s put in the graft. “My little 15 minutes lasting long as hell, huh?” she boasts nonchalantly on final track ‘I Do’. On this evidence, it’s going to last a lot longer yet.”

The post Cardi B samples Jay-Z on ’90s-inspired new single ‘Imaginary Playerz’ appeared first on NME.