Cardi B Sparks Plagiarism Backlash Over Her New Hit Single ‘Bartier Cardi’

Cardi B, who is still dealing with the aftermath of a sex tape leak, is coming under fire for allegedly stealing another rapper’s music. Her new hit single, “Bartier Cardi,” which has been climbing the charts since its Dec. 22 release, is facing claims of plagiarism.

Fans have flooded social media to point out striking similarities in the flows and beats between her new hit and Tommy Genesis’ “Tommy.” Outraged fans say that the beat-for-beat similarity between the Canadian rapper and Cardi B’s singles is undeniable.

But the controversy goes well beyond the alleged plagiarizing of the beat, as Cardi B keeps dropping her own name throughout a verse in the single. In her own single, released in September, Tommy Genesis repeats her own name in the same manner.

Cardi B’s “Bartier Cardi” featuring 21 Savage is the rapper’s first music release since her June’s smash hit “Bodak Yellow.” The hit single went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, making Cardi B the first female rapper to lead the chart in 19 years.

But the plagiarism claims surrounding “Bartier Cardi” could disrupt the rapper’s attempts to repeat the phenomenal success of “Bodak Yellow.” The recently leaked sex tape allegedly starring Cardi B might have become the driving force behind her new single’s chart-friendly success, but it’s unclear if the plagiarism backlash could prevent the smash hit from climbing all the way up to top 10.

For two days in a row since the release of “Bartier Cardi,” the rapper has taken to Instagram to brag about the warm reception of her new single.

But Cardi B is no stranger to facing plagiarism accusations, as the 25-year-old rapper has previously landed herself in hot water for allegedly borrowing some of rap rival Nicki Minaj’s most iconic swag.

Earlier this week, Minaj took to Twitter to react to the mounting criticism surrounding Cardi B’s mimicking of Minaj in the music video for a remix of G-Eazy’s “No Limit.” The rapper wrote, “I’m glad ya’ll peep’d” in response to an outpour of comments regarding Cardi B’s Minaj-style swag.

I’m glad y’all peeped

— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) December 20, 2017

In the music video, Cardi B bears a striking resemblance to Minaj, twerking, not shying away from using vulgar language, wearing thigh-high boots and exposing plenty of cleavage, all of which are present in pretty much all music videos featuring Nicki Minaj.

However, Tommy Genesis’ “Tommy” is not without its flaws either. There’s an eerie similarity between verses in “Tommy” and Dev’s 2014 single “You Want Me.”