In what was almost certainly a bid to win this week’s singles chart battle, Taylor Swift’s dropped the digital price of “Look What You Made Me Do” down to just 69 cents (nice) last week. Unfortunately for her, it didn’t work: for the first time in 19 years, a female rapper has taken the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 without the assistance of any featured artists. In case you’re wondering: the last time was Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Woop (That Thing)” in 1998.
What makes the ascension of “Bodak Yellow” even more impressive is that Cardi B’s only the fifth female rapper to ever make it to #1, ever. Previous title holders include Lil’ Kim, the “Lady Marmalade” crew, and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy.” She’s also the first female solo artist to go No. 1 with a debut single since Meaghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” back in 2014. Even Taylor Swift’s releasing just one, but two behind-the-scenes of the “Look What You Made Me Do” music video and discount single tactics couldn’t halt “Bodak Yellow,” as it falls to No. 3 on the Hot 100 after three weeks at No. 1.
Congrats to the self-made champ, who by her own admission has been rapping for less than two years, for deservedly beating out pop music’s Cersei Lannister on her own terms.
