Cardi B released Imaginary Playerz from her upcoming sophomore album, Am I the Drama?, on August 15, 2025. The track samples Jay-Z's 1997 song Imaginary Players, with Cardi's music video capturing a similar vibe to Hov's. After the release of her latest song, Jay-Z's Imaginary Players saw a 305% increase in Spotify streams between August 15 and August 17, 2025. On the other hand, according to AllHipHop's report dated August 17, 2025, Cardi's song ranked at No. 56 on Apple Music and No. 147 on the Spotify U.S. chart, marking underwhelming numbers despite sampling Jay-Z's track.Netizens quickly took to X to share their thoughts on Hov's 1997 release, gaining attention after Cardi B's Imaginary Playerz came out, where an X user commented on the female rapper's streams, tweeting:Mj.lanesss @MLanesssLINKBut her song streams are down 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣Internet users shared their opinion on Jay-Z's original track being better than Cardi's latest single, which samples Imaginary Players: Main Bitch🎀 @ih8teithere_LINKProbably rather listen to his version than hers lmaoooDee Dee 💕 ♌️ @DeedeeTheLeoLINKThey would rather stream the original than that disaster sample. Don’t blame themTruthteller @truthtellers46LINKBecause hers is so bad I had to listen to the original 😂😂Additionally, some netizens speculated that Jay-Z approved his 1997 song for sampling so it could gain traction.Dontworryboutit @ZiggsMomLINKAnd this was the plot the whole time 😩😩😩😩Luther VanFloss @Bhomega1LINKThis why he cleared it !On the other hand, Cardi B's fans acknowledged that her track Imaginary Playerz and that sampling Jay-Z's track was a smart move for the rapper.steph123 fan of many things @stephaneriopelLINKThis f*cking album rollout is genius. I didnt even listen to Jayz and now I like his version too. Shes a genius. THIS IS HIP-HOP.Bossiah @Bossiah1977LINKThis is how you scratch each others backs!!! 🤣🤣🤣 A WIN WIN 🎶Amanidunia @amanidunia05LINKCARDI'S IMPACT IS MASSIVE!!!. MEG SAMPLED LIL KIM AND HER RECORD DID NOTHING FOR KIM.OOP!!!Cardi B reflects on releasing Imaginary Playerz and the importance of Jay-Z's approval ahead of her sophomore albumMultiple media tabloids likened the theme of Cardi B's Imaginary Playerz to that of Jay-Z's 1997 track Imaginary Players, where Hov called out fraudulent rappers in the industry who'd flex about success and wealth they didn't possess.Talking about why she chose to release the track over other singles on her sophomore album, Cardi mentioned in a recent livestream:“I had to come like this, I had to come strong, and s***ting on you b**ches. I love this record and I don’t give a f**k what nobody say and i’m standing on that, yall can suck my di*k and I know I ate that sh**t.”She has called Imaginary Playerz a "very hip-hop record," admitting it’s a key part of her catalog. Additionally, Cardi B shared how she perfected the Jay-Z-sampled single before its release.Cardi's Am I the Drama? album cover (Image via Instagram/@iamcardib)She mentioned that she took her time with Imaginary Playerz, thinking, "Oh my god, I got to make sure that this song is good’ because I have to f**king to get it approved by the one and only."Reflecting on how important Jay-Z's approval was for her, Cardi mentioned:“If he (Hov) didn't approve it, I probably wouldn't even feel a certain type of way neither, because it would have been like, ‘Okay, maybe I just had to come a little bit harder.’ But I'm glad that I came hard and he loved it and everybody else love it."The WAP rapper also shared how someone approached her and said that when she announced she was doing Imaginary Playerz, they felt nervous; however, Cardi "ate that."Cardi B's sophomore album, Am I the Drama? releases on September 19, 2025, and will consist of 23 tracks. So far, Cardi has released another single called Outside from her upcoming album, and it made headlines because netizens speculated that some of the song's lyrics were about her ex-husband, Offset.