Cardi B Breaks Taylor Swift’s Apple Music Record
If there’s any new star who can consistenly break Taylor Swift’s records, it’s Cardi B. And on Friday, she didn’t just break it, she destroyed it. The rapper’s debut album, Invasion of Privacy, has now become Apple Music’s most-streamed album by a female artist in its first week at more than 100 million streams, Variety reports, dethroning Taylor Swift’s Reputation by more than double the streams mid-week. Cardi B also usurped chart darlings Ed Sheeran and The Weeknd, with Invasion of Privacy passing Divide and Starboy, respectively, to become the fifth most-streamed album of all-time.
(Variety also notes that we can’t quite compare Invasion of Privacy and Reputation‘s rankings, since Swift did not make her album available on streaming services during the first three weeks of its release, and that Reputation sold 1.216 million copies in its first week.)
According to Variety, this almost guarantees that Invasion of Privacy will take the No. 1 spot on the albums chart next week, which would make her only the fifth female rapper ever to lead the Billboard 200—following Nicki Minaj, who took the title twice, Eve, Foxy Brown, and Lauryn Hill.
This isn’t the first time the newly minted Tonight Show co-host has unseated Swift. It first happened in September 2017, when “Bodak Yellow” surpassed “Look What You Made Me Do” to become the top song on the Billboard Hot 100. Cardi B then celebrated with some delicious poetic justice: a cover of “Look What You Made Me Do.” Swift, for her part, congratulated the rapper at the time with a pink flower arrangement.
As of Friday morning, the rapper has not publicly commented on her Apple Music record—nor about any gifts from Swift—but that’s understandable considering her packed schedule. During her show-stealing stint on Saturday Night Live, she revealed her pregnancy in a white gown, after deflecting baby rumors with “Let me fat in peace” just a few months before. Additionally, she’s busy preparing for Coachella this weekend and the next, where, according to The Fader, she could lose around $160,000 from having been booked for a paltry sum before she blew up.
Related: Cardi B Shares Her Instagram Do’s and Don’ts, and Why You Should Post “Every Two Hours
Cardi B Is Everyone’s Favorite New York Fashion Week Front Row Seatmate
Whoopi Goldberg, Meg Ryan, Molly Shannon and Cardi B sat next to each other in the front row at Christian Siriano’s Fall 2018 show.
Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Zayn were seated next to each other at Tom Ford’s Fall 2018 NYFW show.
Halsey and Sebastian Stan at Tom Ford.
Dev Hynes performed during Telfar’s musical Fall 2018 show, along with Ian Isiah, Kelela, Oyinda, 070 Shake and Kelsey Lu.
Diddy’s sons Justin Combs and Christian Combs shared a slice of pizza in the front row at NYFW.
Brandon Thomas Lee and Myles O’Neal buddied up in the front row at NYFW.
Maya Jama and Victoria Justice were seated together in the front row at Philipp Plein.
A$AP Rocky and Liya Kebede posed together backstage at Raf Simons.
Gigi Hadid went full Fifth Element in this neon pink wig at the Jeremy Scott Fall 2018 NYFW show.
Kimberly Drew wore PH5 in this NYFW elevator moment.
Sebastian Stan at Hugo Boss
Queen Latifah snapped a selfie with director Lee Daniels at the annual amFAR gala to kick off New York Fashion Week.
Timothée Chalamet crashed a L’Officiel dinner date between Armie Hammer and his wife Elizabeth Chambers.
Cardi B stole the show at Jeremy Scott’s Fall 2018 show during New York Fashion Week.
Alexa Chung skipped through the cold city streets in between NYFW shows.
Justin Theroux and Petra Collins sported Adam Selman tees together during NYFW.
Kate Upton, Jourdan Dunn, Maya Jama and Victoria Justice in the front row at Jonathan Simkhai’s Fall 2018 NYFW Show.
Diddy’s son Christian Combs posed outside of Tom Ford’s Fall 2018 show during New York Fashion Week.
Anwar Hadid cheesed for the camera with Nicola Peltz outside of Tom Ford’s Fall 2018 show.
Lala strutted down her hotel hallway, looking like a smooth criminal before the Tom Ford show.
Kelela struck a pose at Adam Selman’s NYFW show.
Kate Upton touched down in front of Philipp Plein’s spaceship during NYFW.
Keke Palmer at Hellesy’s Fall 2018 New York Fashion Week show.
Zoey Deutch sat next to Tory Burch at the Tory Burch Fall 2018 NYFW Show, and loved “getting to pick her brilliant and artistic brain.”
