"She should've been lower" - Internet in splits as Billboard staff ranks Cardi B the 11th best female rapper of all time

On April 7, 2025, X account “Pop Base” shared that Billboard staff has named Cardi B the 11th best female rapper. This isn’t the first time the rapper has made it to the music and entertainment magazine’s ranking. In March 2024, her song Like What (Freestyle) bagged the eighth position on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs.

Meanwhile, social media users had mixed reactions to the news going viral. While some said she should have topped the list, others questioned whether she was a good rapper in the first place. One X user commented:

“Lmfaooo she should've been lower.”

However, several other netizens appeared surprised at the ranking as many felt it was disrespectful to Cardi B given her impact.

“11 is disrespectful considering her impact and hits shook the whole industry,” a social media user claimed.

“Huh?! how's that even possible?! she's literally supposed to be top 5 wtf like literally so many female artistes are thriving because of her impact!!” an online user mentioned.

“Its a testament to her impact in a short span of time,” an internet user wrote.

A few X users were critical of the rapper as they noted that she was ranked higher than she should have been.

“Ranked too high, she makes bops but her rap ability is not there. nobody can recite a good cardi b bar,” a netizen reacted.

“11th???? i didnt even know there were 11 female rappers all together,” another X user opined.

“Far too high for somehow who only recites lyrics written for her,” a netizen remarked.

“Mind you only album out. She really is the standard,” a social media user mentioned.

Billboard wrote that Cardi B "exploded" the rap scene as a female artist

Billboard, in the list published on April 7, 2025, highlighted Cardi B's success after her first No. 1 hit Bodak Yellow, noting she went on to earn four more chart-toppers with songs like Up, WAP, I Like It, and a feature on Maroon 5’s Girls Like You.

According to Billboard, her album Invasion of Privacy did well. Cardi also became the first solo female rapper to win a Grammy for Best Rap Album. Billboard wrote:

“Even with only one album to her name, Cardi B has reshaped the rap stratosphere during her eight-year run. After Nicki Minaj dog walked the competition for nearly a decade, in 2017, Cardi entered the fray, looking to detonate and explode on the female rap scene. “Bodak Yellow” was her first declaration as she barreled herself into the conversation, with saucy taunts and racy lyrics that made her easy to love.”

In an interview with Billboard in 2017, the rapper was asked about her inspiration behind Bodak Yellow. She explained that Bodak Yellow came from a place of confidence and wanted to show off how far she had come in life. She said she usually recorded late at night, and after her producer sent her the beat, she started writing lyrics while on a plane.

As she wrote, she felt excited about the track and used it to call out people who had doubted her. While recording, she imagined performing the song directly to those who had bad-mouthed about her in the past, which fueled the energy behind the track.

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