Cardi B is no stranger to controversy, and her latest single “Up” has sparked a lot of drama since its release on February 5, 2021.
The song, which is the second single from her upcoming second studio album, is a rap and hip-hop track that showcases Cardi B’s confident and assertive attitude.
However, not everyone is a fan of the song, and some have accused Cardi B of stealing the main refrain from other artists.
The main refrain of “Up” is “If it’s up, then it’s up, then it’s up, then it’s stuck”, which Cardi B explained in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe is a colloquialism for “street beef”.
However, soon after the song’s release, several artists claimed that Cardi B had copied the phrase from their songs.
Among them were New Jersey rappers Mir Fontane and Mir Pesos, who released a song called “Stuck” in September 2020, which also features the line “If it’s up, then it’s stuck”.
They posted a video on Twitter comparing their song to Cardi B’s, and accused her of plagiarism. They also claimed that they had contacted Cardi B’s team, but received no response.
Another artist who accused Cardi B of stealing the refrain was Atlanta rapper Mora, who released a song called “Up” in August 2020, which also contains the line “If it’s up, then it’s stuck”. He posted a video on Instagram, in which he said that he had met Cardi B’s husband, Offset, and played him his song before Cardi B’s “Up” came out. He also said that he had proof of his song being registered with BMI, a music rights organization, before Cardi B’s.
Cardi B, however, denied the allegations of plagiarism, and said that she had never heard of the other songs before. She also said that the phrase “If it’s up, then it’s stuck” is a common expression in the South, and that she was not the first or the last to use it in a song. She also posted a video on Twitter, in which she showed a clip of her recording “Up” in August 2020, before the other songs were released. She also said that she had receipts of her song being registered with ASCAP, another music rights organization, in September 2020.
Cardi B’s frustration with the accusations was evident when she was confronted by paparazzi at the Los Angeles International Airport on February 6, 2021. As she was walking with her entourage, a paparazzo asked her about the drama surrounding her new single. Cardi B, who was wearing a mask and sunglasses, did not answer the question, and instead yelled “Get the f*** out of my face!” She also flipped off the paparazzo, and continued to walk away1.
Cardi B’s heated response to the paparazzi showed that she was not in the mood to entertain any questions about the controversy. She also made it clear that she was not backing down from her claim that she had created “Up” independently, and that she had no intention of giving credit or compensation to the other artists who accused her of stealing their refrain. Cardi B’s “Up” has been a commercial success, reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, and receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance. However, it has also been a source of drama, and has put Cardi B in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
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