Cardi B Unveils Imaginary Players Ahead of Am I The Drama? Album

Cardi B is poised to intensify a high-profile return with the release of Imaginary Players, the next prerelease single from her long-awaited second album, Am I The Drama?, due September 19. The track is set to drop this Friday after the rapper unveiled the single’s cover art — a shot of Cardi in a matching fur ensemble and a white Rolls-Royce backdrop — and teased the project with the caption “Just a lil taste of the drama.” The release arrives as the album’s rollout has already woven together high-gloss visuals, live appearances and a slate of previously released hits that secure Cardi B’s place as one of hip-hop’s most anticipated album comebacks.

Imaginary Players arrives amid heightened anticipation because the track carries the name of a 1997 Jay-Z song from In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. Cardi B has signaled that the track received clearance from Jay-Z, describing the process as a significant hurdle she had to clear in order to share a song she regards as a staple in her catalog. She has suggested that the collaboration or nod to Jay-Z is a deliberate move to anchor her sound in classic hip-hop while pushing forward into a contemporary lane. In social-media chatter and interview...