Music review Ferocious flow to the fore on this powerful return to form

Should you need confirmation that Cardi B's second album is considered a big deal, you might consider the response of fellow rapper Young Thug to the announcement of its release, seven years on from her debut, Invasion of Privacy.

- Alexis Petridis

An artist with 30 gold or platinum singles to his name, he nevertheless shifted the release of an album he's been promoting for six months when it became apparent it clashed with Am I the Drama?

It's a gesture that seems somehow antithetical to the very nature of hip-hop, a genre that's had gloves-off rivalry in its DNA ever since the night 50-something years ago when Busy Bee made the fatal mistake of challenging Kool Moe Dee to an onstage battle and inadvertently ushered in a new rap era in the process. But equally, you can understand his logic. It smacks a little of fear. Why take the risk of being bested?

Still, it's an action that seems a little ironic when you hear Am I the Drama? From the first moments of the opener, Dead, it makes the listener abundantly aware Cardi B is not a rapper who needs her memory jogged about the rivalry inherent in hip-hop's DNA.