Cardi B’s Latest Single Breaks Her Winning Streak As It Debuts

Cardi B’s “Imaginary Playerz” debuts on 10 Billboard charts this week, including No. 70 on the Hot 100 — her lowest start tied to Am I the Drama? Cardi B at Revolve Festival: The Eighth Annual Fashion, Music and Lifestyle Event on April 12, 2025 in Thermal, California. (Photo by River Callaway/Billboard via Getty Images)

Billboard via Getty Images

Cardi B is in full promotional mode as the release of her upcoming album Am I the Drama? is approaching. The full-length, the rapper’s second, overall, and first in more than half a decade, has already produced a number of big hits, and the latest track, “Imaginary Playerz,” debuts on 10 different Billboard charts this week.

As the cut becomes another win on hip-hop and rap tallies, it underperforms slightly on the most important tally.

Cardi B’s Low Starting Point on the Hot 100

On this week’s Hot 100, “Imaginary Playerz” opens at No. 70. That’s a fairly low starting point for a Cardi track, as she’s known to score healthy debuts on the ranking of the most consumed songs in the country.

Both “WAP” and “Up” Reached No. 1

Of Cardi’s singles that have been attributed to Am I the Drama? before “Imaginary Playerz” arrived, all of them spent time inside the top 10. “WAP,” her collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion, and “Up” easily hit No. 1 in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Earlier this summer, Cardi released “Outside,” the third official promotional tune from Am I the Drama?, and that song climbed to No. 10 on the busy list.

“Imaginary Playerz” Launches at No. 2

“Imaginary Playerz” earns its lowest launch point on the Hot 100. Among all of the Billboard charts where the cut arrives, the track almost brings Cardi to the No. 1 space on both the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales and Rap Digital Song Sales tallies, but this frame she’s beaten by politically-charged rapper Tom MacDonald, who debuts “The Devil Is a Democrat” at No. 1 on both rosters.

Cardi B’s Latest Career Top 10

“Imaginary Playerz” also starts its time inside the top 10 on three other rankings in America. Cardi’s latest kicks off in third place on the all-style Digital Song Sales chart, at No. 7 on the Hot Rap Songs tally, and in tenth place on the Rap Streaming Songs roster. On slightly more competitive lists and radio tallies such as the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the Rap Airplay ranking, “Imaginary Playerz” sits beneath the top 10, although the track could climb, especially when it comes to spins at radio stations throughout the U.S.