Cardi B To Host The 2021 American Music Awards

Author Autumn Hawkins

November 2nd, 2021 1:15 PM

The AMAs have announced their host for this year’s award show and it is (drumroll please)… Cardi B!

Cardi B will be hosting the 2021 American Music Awards, set to air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 21.

Cardi, a five-time AMA winner, is up for three awards this year for “Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist” and two nods for “Up” as “Favorite Music Video” and “Favorite Hip-Hop Song.”

This will be Cardi’s first time hosting an awards show; the only other time the AMA’s were hosted by a female rapper was by Queen Latifah in 1995.

“When I received the invite to host the AMAs, I was so excited,” Cardi B said in a statement per Billboard. “I’m ready to bring my personality to the AMAs stage! Thank you to Jesse Collins, ABC and MRC for making this happen.”

“We are immensely excited to have the dynamic Cardi B bring her infectious energy to the American Music Awards as a first-time host,” said AMAs executive producer Collins. “She will excite the viewers, push the limits and deliver a show that will be remembered forever!”

Cardi B’s Top 10 Best Songs: Ranked

• 10. “Ring” ft. Kehlani

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  Cardi takes a swing at R&B with this track featuring songstress Kehlani. "Ring" speaks of missing someone that doesn't call anymore. The "I miss you" theme track was written by songwriter Nija Charles recalling the lyrics to Genius as "very honest and vulnerable."

• 9. “Drip” ft. Migos

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  Cardi recruits Migos for this hit as Offset takes a majority of the song rapping part of the hook and second verse. Cardi takes the first verse as Quavo and Takeoff follow with the third and fourth verse. Per Songfacts, the word "drippin'" is used 120 times throughout the song. Quavo is the only one that doesn't use the word at all.

• 8. “Press”

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  The 2019 song was a reflection of Cardi's now very public life. The song correlated with the Bronx rapper's real-life court proceeding as she pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from a fight in a strip club. She first previewed the song to her Instagram followers in December 2018 and later released the track in May of 2019. 
• 7. “Be Careful”

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  In the midst of cheating rumors from her husband Offset, the track (which was very different for Cardi) impressed fans with her versatility. The song addresses the cheating rumors and alleged sex tape with Offset and another woman, "You gon' gain the whole world, But is it worth the girl that you're losin'?" Fugees singer Lauryn Hill gets a writing credit for the track as Cardi uses the bridge to her 1998 hit "Ex Factor" and explained what it meant to get Hill's seal of approval. "Not only was I relieved, I was like I cannot believe Lauryn Hill approved this record. For her to approve, it was the biggest stamp to it," she said, per Songfacts. "Nobody could talk s--- about this record to me because the sensei approved it." 

• 6. “Money”

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  Cardi's first solo release after 'Invasion of Privacy' found her spilling about her love of money. Producer White Did It (who was behind the Bronx MC's "Bodak Yellow" and "I Like It") spoke about creating the record to Genius, "I love just intense-sounding sounds, so this piano is what I started with. This is suspense. Like, I'm coming. It feels like some shark in the water. That piano just… it sets the tone for the mood." Cardi performed "Money" at the 2018 Grammys when she won "Best Rap Album." "Money" also took home the "Best Hip Hop Video" at the VMAs in 2019.

• 5. “Bartier Cardi” ft. 21 Savage

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  The song's title is a mashup of her name and the luxury brand Cartier. Cardi explained on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, "I had to name it 'Bartier' because I didn't want Cartier to sue me." The song shares a similar rhythmic fast flow like her debut single "Bodak Yellow" which is probably why the song was received so well by her fans. The video was nominated for a VMA in 2018 for "Best Hip Hop Video."
• 5. “Up”

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  Cardi revealed during a YouTube live interview that she got the idea for the song from Offset because he kept repeating the phrase "up and stuck," and then she started repeating "up and a stuck out of nowhere." The song landed at #2 on the Hot 100 in its first week, making Cardi B the first female solo rapper to debut in the Top 5 of the chart since Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)" in 1998, per the outlet. This was Cardi's fifth Hot 100 #1 following "Bodak Yellow," "I Like It," and "Girls Like You Remix," and "WAP."

• 3. “I Like It” ft. Bad Bunny & J Balvin

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  "I Like It" taps in Columbian superstar reggaeton singer J Balvin and Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny for this hit. Producer J. White Did It is behind this track and explains the meaning of the popular hit: "It's just celebrating success, achievement, talking about what she likes. Pretty much, if you ain't working, you ain't eating." This was Cardi's second Hot 100 #1 hit and first for both J. Balvin and Bad Bunny. Cardi B became the first female rapper with two chart-toppers, the first was, of course, her debut single "Bodak Yellow."

• 2. “WAP” ft. Megan Thee Stallion

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  Many would conclude that Cardi and Megan's "WAP" was a culture reset. The song topped the US chart, becoming Cardi's fourth #1 and Megan's second. The raunchy lyrics and racy Grammy performance became the topic of many think pieces due to the nature of the song. Cardi confidently said to i-D of her haters, "They keep talking and the numbers keep going up. At the end of the day, whatever they’re saying, the numbers speak for themselves.” The song won the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards "Best Collaboration" and "Best Song of the Year."
• 1. “Bodak Yellow”

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  Cardi's 2017 hit "Bodak Yellow" solidified her place in hip-hop. The rapper was nominated for two Grammys in 2017 for "Best Rap Performance" and "Best Rap Song." The climb made the song the first top 10 hit solo by a female rapper since Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda" reached #2 three years previously.

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Author Autumn Hawkins

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• 105.1 The Bounce
• Entertainment
• Music

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