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It really is good. I didn't expect it to be because I am so used to major-label rap debuts being mediocre + there were so many ways it could have gone wrong + I frankly underestimated Cardi. But man, it's so much fun. Good raps, good beats, good songs. I love it.
I'll be curious to see how high any of these chart on the Hot 100. They'll probably all be on there given that the EP is going to debut at #1 on the albums chart. None of them really feel like ~singles~ to me, though.
Also, "She should have followed her deepest instincts on this go around." I am pretty sure she did just that, and that's how we ended up with Melodrama?
Some of what you're saying makes sense, but Lorde also had two top-10 singles on her last album, including a No. 1. And she recorded her latest album with a guy whose old band was scoring top-10 hits (including a No. 1) around the same time, a guy who also produced half of the new Taylor Swift album. So it's not crazy to think about how she fits into the mainstream pop sphere, even if she ultimately turns out to be a different kind of artist.
