Last summer Bronx native Cardi B, burst on the rap charts with her breakthrough single “Bodak Yellow” which skyrocketed to number one shattering expectations and records. Because of the breakneck pace that she gained fame, Cardi has been plagued by critics and naysayers as being a fad. Many claiming that her eccentric personality would ensure that her 15 minutes of fame would be quick. And as much as I love Cardi, I was unsure if she’d ever evolve being a “singles” artist, not being able to construct a cohesive album. This year she proved all of the haters, and even fans such as myself, wrong with her debut album “Invasion of Privacy” opening at No, 1 in the U.S.

“Invasion of Privacy” opens up with the powerful opener “Get Up 10,” detailing her struggles and it’s the perfect introduction to the album and Cardi herself. She brash and unapologetic in her openness about her past as a stripper. She’s not ashamed of her sexuality, she’s confident in everything she says and its refreshing to hear someone so genuine. This track serves as a thesis statement for the album ranging from her past, her meteoric rise to fame, and where she’s going, all coming to a head at the end of the song, saying “Knock me down nine times but I get up ten.”

From there the album flows into “Drip” ft. the Migos and “Bickenhead” which are two bangers. There’s not a ton of substance here, but Cardi continues to deliver with solid, clever wordplay. The production on the album is infectious, and you’d be hard pressed to find someone not at least tapping their foot to a majority of the songs on this project.

Cardi then delivers her song to her fiancé and father of her soon to be child, Offset, with “Be Careful.” Honestly as far as wordplay goes this is one of the blander songs on the album, but it does serve to show Cardi’s more vulnerable side. She doesn’t want to be a victim and if Offset hurts her, she’s not going to take it lying down.

The project continues it’s fast pace with “I Like It” ft. Bad Bunny and J Balvin, and one of my favorite tracks “Best Life” ft. Chance the Rapper. These two songs are extremely fun and are sure to quickly climb up the charts. Cardi and Chance have fantastic chemistry on “Best Life” and “I Like It” is a fantastic song to roll down your windows and blast with your friends.

Unfortunately, the album slows down considerably for its second half. It’s not bad by any means but nothing “wowed” me like it did in the first half. Proving that this is by no means a perfect album, the structure feels somewhat formulaic and things start to blur together in the latter half, but through it all Cardi still proves to be a powerful voice that keeps you from turning off the album.

“Invasion of Privacy” is one of the best debut albums I’ve heard from a rapper in the last couple of years. While it’s probably not going to make any album of the year list, it proves that Cardi B is more than just a fad. She unapologetic in being herself which comes together to create a fun, and impactful debut album that is defiantly worth your time. If there is anything that you can take away from this album it’s that Cardi B is here to stay.