Billboard is celebrating the 2010s with essays on the 100 songs that we feel most define the decade that was -- the songs that both shaped and reflected the music and culture of the period -- with help telling their stories from some of the artists, behind-the-scenes collaborators and industry insiders involved.
Cardi B's heist of the music industry is probably one of the biggest jack-moves in hip-hop history. Before the success of "Bodak Yellow," Cardi was a fiery Bronx locomotive who rattled off cheeky jokes at the drop of a dime. Instagram followers reveled in her spunk and theatrics. Her charm was both her calling card and saving grace, which was why fans adored and appreciated her bombastic club banger "Bodak Yellow."
Having just released two projects under the KSR Group with Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 in 2016 and 2017, respectively, Cardi's music career was in limbo. After "Lick," featuring her future husband Offset, failed to cause traction on the charts, Cardi became frustrated with how long it took for her to blow up on a mainstream level. "'Bodak Yellow' was created mainly because 'Lick' wasn't doing what it had to do," recalls the song's producer JWhiteDidIt. "I don't wanna say it was out of desperation we made that record, but it was more like we needed a better record."
