Maps of Music

Invasion of Privacy (2018)

Where the lyrics of Invasion of Privacy take you, and where it was really made.

Cardi B's debut album set a female rap streaming record in its first week, yet it was not sold in any physical format when it first came out.

Key places

Recording site The Cutting Room — The album was recorded from 2017 until early 2018 at The Cutting Room in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Invasion of Privacy: debut studio album by American rapper Cardi B
Released April 6, 2018 through Atlantic Records and KSR
Primarily hip-hop, with elements of trap, Latin trap and R&B
Guest appearances by Migos, Chance the Rapper, Kehlani, SZA, 21 Savage, J Balvin, Bad Bunny and YG

Before the release, "Bodak Yellow" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100
In March 2018, Cardi B announced at the iHeartRadio Music Awards that the album would come out in April
Several collaborations also reached the top 10 before the album came out

Recorded from 2017 until early 2018 in The Cutting Room, New York City
Production from 30 Roc, Andrew Watt, Benny Blanco, Boi-1da, Craig Kallman, Cubeatz, DJ Mustard, Frank Dukes and others

Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, known as Cardi B, is an American rapper born October 11, 1992 in New York City.
She first gained fame on VH1's reality series Love & Hip Hop: New York in 2015 before launching her music career.
Her debut mixtape Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 was released in March 2016, followed by Vol. 2 in January 2017.
Her debut single "Bodak Yellow" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 2017 and was certified Diamond.
Her debut studio album Invasion of Privacy (2018) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in 2019.
Her second album Am I the Drama? (2025) also debuted at number one, making her the only female rapper whose first two albums both topped the Billboard 200.
She has five Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, more than any other female rapper, including "WAP" with Megan Thee Stallion.
She has acted in the film Hustlers (2019) and hosted and judged the Netflix series Rhythm + Flow.
She has business ventures including Whipshots, Grow Good Beauty, and endorsement deals with Reebok and Pepsi.
She has been outspoken on political and social issues, including endorsing Bernie Sanders in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024.

Metacritic average score of 84, based on 24 reviews
The Guardian: Ben Beaumont-Thomas gave four out of five stars
Exclaim!: Erin Lowers scored the album 9 out of 10
Rolling Stone: Rob Sheffield described the album as lavishly emotional, intimately personal, wildly funny
Pitchfork: Sheldon Pearce awarded the album Best New Music
Time: named it the best album of 2018

Rolling Stone and Pitchfork listed it among the greatest albums of the 2010s, at number 34 and number 73
Rolling Stone ranked it number 20 among the 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time (2022)

Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 255,000 units in its first week, 103,000 of them pure album sales
202.6 million on-demand streams in its first week, the largest such week for a female rap album
Certified 6× Platinum by the RIAA
Won Best Rap Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards
Won Album of the Year at the 2019 BET Awards
Debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart; Platinum by Music Canada for 80,000 copies

Cardi B became the first female artist to chart thirteen songs simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100.
The album streamed from April 5, 2018, but was not available on any physical format at its first release.
"Be Careful" contains an interpolation of "Ex-Factor", written and performed by Lauryn Hill.
The Cutting Room in New York City was the recording place for the album.