Cardi B has cemented her status as a trailblazer in the music industry, becoming the first female rapper in history to see her first two studio albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Her sophomore project, Am I The Drama?, opened atop the Billboard 200 (dated Oct. 4) with 200,000 equivalent album units in its first week, according to Luminate. The figure marks 2025’s biggest week for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman. The album follows her 2018 debut, Invasion of Privacy, which also entered the chart at No. 1.
Billboard confirmed the milestone in an official Instagram post on Sunday, writing:
“Cardi B scores her second No. 1 on the Billboard 200 as ‘Am I The Drama?’ debuts atop the tally. With 200,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States, it marks 2025’s biggest week for an R&B/hip-hop album by a woman.”
Of the album’s 200,000 first-week total, streaming equivalent albums (SEA) accounted for 110,000 units (equal to 145.72 million on-demand official streams), while pure album sales contributed 88,000 units, boosted by a wide array of CD and vinyl editions. Track equivalent albums (TEA) comprised 2,000 units.
The release strategy featured multiple formats, including digital editions, expanded tracklist versions, nine vinyl variants, and a range of signed and unsigned CDs, some dubbed the “courtroom edition” featuring viral cover art from her 2024 assault trial. Cardi B also made in-store appearances across the U.S. to connect with fans during release week.
The strong debut has also made Am I The Drama? the year’s top-selling first-week release by a female hip-hop or R&B artist. To build on the momentum, Cardi B is set to embark on a nationwide arena tour in February 2026.
Beyond the chart success, Cardi B achieved an additional milestone by setting a Guinness World Record tied to her album rollout. On September 19, 2025, in collaboration with Walmart, Atlantic Records, and Wing Drone Delivery, she orchestrated the delivery of 176 signed CDs via drones across the Dallas–Fort Worth metro area in just one hour.
Guinness officially recognized the feat: “Most deliveries by UAV drones in one hour: 176, by @iamcardib, @AtlanticRecords, @Wing & @Walmart across the Dallas–Fort Worth region, Texas, USA.”
Describing the drone-powered rollout as a groundbreaking fan experience, Cardi B said it was “a special moment for my fans and a crazy new way to drop music.”
Her achievement marks the first time an artist has linked a Guinness World Record to an album release using UAV technology, underscoring Cardi B’s role as not just a chart-topping rapper but also a marketing innovator in the digital era.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the Billboard 200, KPop Demon Hunters held at No. 2 with 104,000 units, Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem stayed at No. 3 with 90,000, and Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend remained at No. 4 with 69,000. Nine Inch Nails returned to the top 10 for the first time since 2013, as their Tron: Ares soundtrack debuted at No. 5 with 45,000 units.
