New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Sony/ATV
Music Publishing has signed a worldwide deal with songwriter and rapper
Cardi B whose debut single "Bodak Yellow" has just spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The Bronx, New York talent is one of the biggest breakthrough artists of the year, having become the first female rapper since
Lauryn Hill nearly two decades ago to top the Hot 100 with a recording not featuring any other billed acts.
Sony/ATV Co-President, U.S. Rick Krim said: "As 'Bodak Yellow' has already demonstrated,
Cardi B is one of a rare breed of unique artists who the industry only witnesses occasionally. We are honored that Sony/ATV will get to work with this special talent who is not just impacting music but pop culture as well."
Sony/ATV Senior Director, A&R Jennifer
Drake said: "Cardi B is honest, real and refreshing and has the confidence to say exactly what she is thinking and feeling. It's tangible and you can connect to that. We are so proud to be able to work with a talented artist like Cardi and excited to see her push the culture forward."
Cardi B said: "Oooo, I'm so happy to be with my new family Sony/ATV. 'Bodak Yellow' is only the beginning and we're just getting started."
Cardi B's debut single "Bodak Yellow" was hailed by The New York Times as "the rap anthem of the summer" and within weeks of that accolade it had climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. where it is currently being streamed around 40 million times every week.
While "Bodak Yellow" is her first hit, the Bronx, New York native has already been in the public limelight for several years, having become the breakout star of the VH1 reality TV series Love & Hip Hop: New York after debuting as a cast member in 2015 during season six. Her time on Love & Hip Hop ran parallel to a developing music career that included the release of her first single "Cheap Ass Weave" during her first year on the show and an appearance on reggae superstar Shaggy's single "
Boom Boom".
At the end of December 2016 she announced she would be leaving the VH1 show after two seasons to focus on her music and by February this year she had landed a recording deal with Atlantic Records. A support slot on East Coast hip-hop group The Lox's tour alongside
Lil' Kim and Remy Ma followed and in May she picked up nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the 2017 BET Awards, prior to Atlantic Records issuing its first commercial single with her.
In June during Remy Ma's set at Hot 97's annual Summer Jam music festival she was brought out on stage to be part of a superstar line-up also including The Lady of Rage, Lil' Kim, MC Lyte, Monie Love,
Queen Latifah and Young M.A. to perform Latifah's hit "U.N.I.T.Y.". That same month Atlantic unleashed "Bodak Yellow", which by late
September had climbed to No. 1 on the Hot 100, the first chart-topper by a female rapper since Lauryn Hill's "
Doo Wop (That Thing)" in 1998 that did not feature any other billed acts. It is the longest Hot 100 No. 1 in history by a female rapper without any other featured artists.
"Bodak Yellow" went on to spend three weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and has to date sold nearly 500,000 digital downloads in the U.S. and been streamed more than 440 million times, according to Nielsen Music. It also reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts and was certified platinum status by the RIAA for more than 1 million equivalent sales. The song has now become a U.K. hit and is also climbing charts in a number of other territories around the world. It was named Single of the Year at the 2017 BET Hip-Hop Awards, one of five awards won by
Cardi B at the event, which was held in Miami earlier this month.
Besides "Bodak Yellow", she recently featured on the
G-Eazy single "
No Limit" alongside
A$AP Rocky and is currently working on her first studio album, which is expected to be released in early 2018.
