Cardi B just notched her second No. 1 album with AM I THE DRAMA?, which has been in the works for a long time. But for those criticizing its successful commercial performance for the record's inclusion of years-old hits... We have bad news for you. Or good news, if you want engagement.
Billboard reports that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) just certified the new project as double platinum on Monday (September 29), not even two weeks after the LP came out. Cardi B's platinum AM I THE DRAMA? certification came down on the very same day of its release thanks to the singles "WAP" and "Up" being on the tracklist.
The Bronx star sold 200K album-equivalent units in its first week. 110K came from streaming (from almost 146 million total on-demand streams) and 90K from pure album sales (physical CD and vinyl variants).
Of course, this new achievement won't slow down the critical narrative against her tracklist decision. Nevertheless, Cardi feels more thankful for the fans who have supported the record critically than for those who are having first week sales discussions.
Cardi B Tour
Elsewhere, all this AM I THE DRAMA? hype is happening as Cardi B's gearing up for another life update. She is pregnant with her fourth child – her first with her boyfriend Stefon Diggs – and hasn't let this stop live performances, such as her recent Global Citizen Festival headlining slot to replace The Weeknd dropping out.
But don't fret, Bardi Gang: this apparently won't have any impact on Cardi B's upcoming "Little Miss Drama" tour, which recently got an expansion with some new dates. This will be a great place to see AM I THE DRAMA? come to life, and a long-awaited trek for Cardi fans.
How long will this album take to go triple platinum? Maybe that tour speeds that process up a lot, or it happens beforehand.
Either way, it's been unsurprising but nonetheless heartening to finally get this sophomore full-length, and to see it do so well. Nothing has perfect reception, but everything is consistently sustaining itself quite swimmingly despite... Well, all the drama.
