Tell us even a month ago that our favourite new Cardi B track would be about coronavirus and we might not have believed you, but here we are, barely into quarantine, and that is the reality.
The song, produced by (until now, little known) DJ iMarkkeyz, samples Cardi saying “Coronavirus, it’s getting real!” and it’s actually pretty good. The song quickly got picked up by TikTok users and rose in the iTunes charts to 11 on the hip hop chart. On Monday, Cardi tweeted: “I’m about to tell Atlantic to put this song on Spotify”.
Fans then called out for Cardi and DJ iMarkkeyz to donate any profits made from the song to people who are feeling the economic hit from COVID-19. DJ iMarkkeyz and Cardi B agreed, with Cardi tweeting “YES !THATS WHAT WE GOING TO DO !”
This isn’t the first time Cardi B has made a donation to charity. On a recent trip to Nigeria, she donated supplies to an orphanage. The rapper has also come out in support of Bernie Sanders in the US presidential race, and in November 2019 the two recorded a video interview together.
As for musicians helping to battle the effects of coronavirus, Lil Nas X and Megan Thee Stallion have been donating money to fans in need via CashApp, while musicians from Christine and the Queens to Charli XCX have been live streaming to keep us entertained from quarantine.
Earlier this month, right before “Coronavirus” began to chart, Cardi B claimed that the release of her new single would be pushed back due to COVID-19. “It’s delay due to the virus,” she wrote on Twitter.