by Cardi B has taken the music world by storm since rising to fame in 2017.
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Known for her brash and bold personality as much as her chart-topping hits, the Bronx native is undeniably one of the biggest names in hip-hop today. However, while Cardi B excels at blending hip-hop, trap, and pop styles, there are some genres she hasn’t delved into—at least not yet. Folk, heavy metal, and classical music are three genres that typically fall outside of Cardi B’s musical repertoire.
Folk Music: Not Cardi’s Style
The stripped-down acoustic sound of folk music is a far cry from Cardi B’s signature brand of hip-hop. Folk places emphasis on storytelling through simple instrumentation like acoustic guitars, banjos, and fiddles. Lyrical themes in folk music often draw from folklore, mythology, and everyday experiences of rural working class people. While some hip-hop artists have experimented with blending folk and rap styles, Cardi B’s energetic and explicit lyrics are better suited for hip-hop, R&B, and pop genres with heavier beats and production.
One reason Cardi may steer clear of folk is that its storytelling roots don’t mesh as seamlessly with her focus on confidently boasting about her success and lavish lifestyle. Folk music originated as a means for poorer communities to pass down their histories and traditions through song. In contrast, many of Cardi’s hits like “Bodak Yellow” and “Money” celebrate her rise from humble beginnings to fame and wealth. Her lyrics center more on flexing material possessions than sharing folk tales.
The minimalist acoustic instrumentation in folk also lacks the hard-hitting basslines and trap-inspired beats that drive Cardi’s music. Without those elements, her bold delivery and charismatic stage presence wouldn’t shine through as vibrantly. While some artists like Lana Del Rey have found ways to blend the storytelling of folk with moody pop production, Cardi’s style is better served by genres with a stronger rhythmic backbone for her to command attention over.
Does this mean Cardi B could never work folk influences into a track somehow? Not necessarily—she’s shown an ability to experiment across genres before. But for now, her discography suggests folk just doesn’t align with her brand’s core strengths in hip-hop braggadocio and party anthems designed for mainstream airplay and clubs. Unless Cardi undergoes a drastic artistic evolution, folk is likely to remain outside the borders of her musical kingdom for the time being.
Heavy Metal: Not Her Vibe
If folk music is on the opposite end of the spectrum from Cardi’s style, then heavy metal resides in a realm even further abroad. Where hip-hop thrives on crisp beats and lyrical dexterity, heavy metal takes aggression to an extreme through distorted guitars, pounding drums, and raw vocal power. Thematically, heavy metal often deals with darker subjects like mythology, horror, warfare, occult mysticism, and anti-establishment views—a far cry from Cardi’s anthemic odes to her glamorous lifestyle.
Some key musical differences that make a Cardi B/metal collaboration difficult to envision include the sheer volume and intensity of the genre. Heavy metal relies on heavily distorted, high-gain electric tones that create an almost oppressively loud wall of sound. This sonic assault is meant to invoke a sense of power, danger or chaos—not exactly a vibe Cardi’s party tracks aim to cultivate. Her rapid-fire flow and punchy delivery also works against the slower, riff-driven style of metal. And while hip-hop embraces braggadocio, metal’s lyrical themes tend toward the ominous, philosophical or graphic rather than boastful.
Does this mean collaborations between rappers and metal bands can’t work creatively? Cross-genre efforts have certainly happened before, such as when Rage Against the Machine fused rap and rock. But Cardi’s brand of hip-hop is squarely focused on anthemic songs made for mainstream success—not underground fusion projects. Unless she underwent a major artistic evolution, it’s hard to imagine Cardi crafting songs that could satisfy both metal fans seeking catharsis and her own massive pop audience. Heavy metal’s sonic assault and dark lyrical themes place it far outside her hit-making comfort zone for now.
Classical: An Unlikely Pairing
If folk and metal reside on opposite ends of Cardi’s musical spectrum, then classical music exists in an entirely separate sphere. Spanning several centuries, classical encompasses a huge array of styles from orchestral to choral works with complex, multi-layered compositions. In contrast, modern hip-hop is defined by its stripped-down aesthetic built on sampling, loops and sparse melodies designed for DJs to manipulate live.
On a technical level, classical music’s dense orchestrations involving strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion don’t gel seamlessly with hip-hop’s emphasis on sparse beats and space in the mix for an MC’s agile flow. Cardi’s punchy, staccato delivery is also at odds with classical’s long, sweeping melodic phrases. And where hip-hop prides itself on being a genre of the streets, classical music has long been associated with high art and academic settings—not natural bedfellows with Cardi’s brand focused on luxury and partying.
Conceptually, classical compositions also prioritize musical development, harmony, counterpoint and emotion over lyrical storytelling. Cardi’s music lives and dies by her witty, boastful lyrics rather than complex melodies. Could a classical-inspired hip-hop track work as an artistic experiment? Perhaps—but it would require a major reimagining of Cardi’s style that strays far from her hit formula.
Unless she underwent a transformation into an art rapper on par with artists like Milo or Open Mike Eagle, a Cardi B classical album seems an almost inconceivable notion. Her pop-oriented brand is built for massive commercial success through anthemic songs, not underground critical acclaim. Classical sits at the opposite end of popular music’s spectrum from her hit-making strengths in vibrant production and catchy lyrical hooks. For now, the elegant traditions of classical will remain untouched territory for hip-hop’s current reigning queen.
In Conclusion
While Cardi B has dabbled with influences from pop, R&B and Latin music, genres like folk, metal and classical appear to lie well outside her usual wheelhouse based on her discography and public persona. From a musical perspective, their styles, sounds and themes clash sharply with Cardi’s brand of brash, party-starting hip-hop anthems engineered for mainstream airplay and clubs.
Unless she undergoes a drastic artistic evolution, it’s difficult to imagine Cardi crafting songs that could satisfy fans of those more niche styles and still retain her knack for chart-topping crossover hits. Her success relies on confidently flexing wealth and lifestyle over hard-hitting beats—not subtle storytelling, heavy riffs or complex orchestrations.
That said, stranger musical pairings have happened before, so who knows? If anyone has the star power and rebellious spirit to pull off unexpected genre-blending, it’s Cardi. But for now, her kingdom remains centered around hip-hop, pop and R&B territories—leaving folk, metal and classical worlds happily untouched under her musical reign. As the hip-hop queen that keeps on winning, perhaps Cardi B’s crown is best suited outside those less traveled genres.
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