As anticipation mounts in Los Angeles for the first of Cardi B's two sold-out shows at the Kia Forum, the Grammy-winning Bronx rapper is set to electrify the crowd with her pugnacious lyrics and vivid set pieces on her first arena tour. The show is a testament to Cardi B's ability to craft an immersive experience, with nods to her latest studio release, 2025's Am I the Drama?, as reported by The Guardian.
The image of a murder of crows, which appears on the cover of Am I the Drama?, is intentionally referenced in the show, with the birds symbolizing whip-smart, cunning, and the ability to cling to deeply held grudges for decades. This theme is woven throughout the performance, with Cardi emerging on stage with a long shadow behind her, setting the tone for an ominous and intense show.
Cardi's arrival on stage is marked by a slice of album opener Dead, with the lyrics "I'm collecting body bags like they purses / I don't even rap no more, I drive hearses" underscoring the ominous feeling. She emerges in a haute couture trench coat resembling battle armor, with a shock of white in her dark hair, and launches into the braggadocious Hello with pyrotechnics and smoke effects.
Snarling Back at Haters
On Am I the Drama?, Cardi is at her most incisive when she's ripping into an enemy, as seen in the aptly named Pretty & Petty, where she focuses her ire on the rapper Bia. Similarly, the highest points of the musician's ambitious LA show also revolve around snarling back at haters with expressive aplomb, as she blitzes through three dozen songs in just under two hours.
Cardi begins the six-act concert with a series of brutal numbers, including the ferocious Magnet, her vocals seething as she dials into a nemesis she deems "trash since birth". An ode to the rare people with integrity, Salute, follows, where she clutches a fake rifle from below the stage, firing off sparks into the sky.
After the menacing double hook of Check Please and Trophies, Cardi appears almost taken aback by her own savagery, playfully proclaiming to the crowd: "We started very motherfucking violent!" The show's second act sees Cardi turning her focus to the lovers who scorned her, with a poignant rendition of Ring, a plaintive duet with Kehlani about trying to understand why someone stopped calling.
Raunchy Numbers and Latin Roots
Besides gleeful revenge, Cardi's calling card is rampant horniness, and she romps through raunchy numbers including her remix of Blueface's Thotiana, employing a chair for a seductive dance routine. The most stirring moments of the show nod to Cardi's Latin roots, with an act featuring her boogaloo trap hit I Like It and the breakneck-speed Bodega Baddie.
In the latter, a defiantly merengue-steeped ode to her lineage, she salsa dances as her dancers hoist flags of Latin American countries high onstage. It's a pointed touch for Cardi B, who made a crack about her fans "jumping" ICE at the tour's opener last week, as reported by Yahoo News. Her message is clear: let them eat crow.
The show is a testament to Cardi B's ability to craft an immersive experience, with a mix of brutal numbers, poignant renditions, and raunchy performances. As she unleashes her most high-octane hits and choreography, the crowd is with her throughout the spectacle, bellowing the words and grinding during the final two acts.
