Jay-Z’s “Imaginary Players” Sees Over 300% Streaming Increase After Cardi B Sample
Cardi B’s “Imaginary Playerz” reworks the classic Jay-Z song from 1997.
Recording artists Jay Z and Cardi B attend the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City.
Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for NARAS.
Jay-Z's "Imaginary Players" is getting new life. According to Complex,the classic Hov track has seen a +305% increase in Spotify streams in the United States since Cardi B released her single, “Imaginary Playerz.” Cardi’s song prominently samples Jay’s 1997 track; and “Imaginary Playerz” dropped as a prerelease single from her upcoming album Am I the Drama?
In My Lifetime, Vol. 1Streets Is WatchingDuring an X Spaces livestream before the single dropped, Cardi B talked about what the song means to her.
She went to say that she wouldn’t have been offended if Jay-Z rejected her request to sample his song, which itself flips “Imaginary Playmates” by famed R&B duo Rene & Angela.
“If he didn't approve it, I probably wouldn't even feel a certain type of way neither because it would have been like, ‘Okay, maybe I just had to come a little bit harder,’” she continued. “But I'm glad that I came hard and he loved it and everybody else love it. Somebody came up to me and they said, ‘Uh, I'm not even going to lie. When you announced that you was doing ‘Imaginary Players,’ I was a little nervous, but you ate that.’”
Am I The Drama?drops September 19.
