Cardi B gave Lil Nas X one of the biggest looks of his career so far when she brought him out to perform his hit song “Old Town Road” with her at the Houston Rodeo this year (and again at Summer Jam), so it’s only right that she features on his major label debut EP, 7, on a song called — what else? — “Rodeo.” “Rodeo,” produced by Take A Daytrip, again samples a guitar riff — this time a harder rock-oriented loop akin to Heart’s “Barracuda” — and finds Lil Nas leaning into his country-trap vocal to censure a romantic flame for her dependence on his largesse.
Of course, Cardi issues the perfect rebuttal, along with one or two veiled threats as a reminder that her character’s gold-digging will either be tolerated or end up being the death of Lil Nas — literally. “I be chilling, watching Oxygen, my favorite show is Snapped,” she sneers, offering a crystal-clear image of the latter alternative. If that doesn’t hammer the point home sufficiently, Cardi’s closing shot might: “Rather see you in a hearse than see you with some other bitch,” she barks. Yeah, it really might be cheaper to keep her.
Cardi joins Billy Ray Cyrus as the sole features on 7, which finds Lil Nas X trying on a dizzying array of different sounds, including dance-pop and garage rock, and honestly killing at all of them. There’s even a nifty Nirvana sample that actually put Lil Nas onto one of the band’s best songs. So much for a one-hit wonder; this time next year, Lil Nas X may very well be headlining the rodeo himself.
7 is out now via Columbia Records. Get it here.
