If you’re an avid Cardi B fan, chances are you’re well aware of the work the Bronx rapper has been putting in when it comes to exposing her non-Latino fans to reggaeton and trap en español. Over the course of the past year, Cardi has used her Instagram as a platform to introduce her massive fanbase to these sounds, mostly by belting the lyrics in her stories and on the grid – especially Ozuna’s addictive “Tu Foto.”
Last week, Cardi and the reggaeton romántico poster boy finally linked in “La Modelo,” an addictive and shimmery collab whose video finds the pair lounging in a luxe waterfront mansion in Jamaica. On the track, Cardi sings in Spanish. “Y de pensar que yo contigo quiero estar/Quiero probar algo de ti pa’ no olvidar,” she coos.
This morning, she took to Instagram to translate the hook of “La Modelo” and put some of her non-Spanish-speaking fans onto the song. “I wanna do so many things to you without falling in love/I want you to feel comfortable if we grow apart/Like that/however you wanna make love,” she sings. “For me to think/that you’re the one I wanna be with/I wanna taste/something of yours I won’t forget/I don’t even know honey, but I want her,” she laughs in the clip.
Cardi has shown a commitment to bridging the gap between her fanbases; several followers commented on the video talking about how they plan to learn the Spanish lyrics, and mentioned their appreciation for the song even if they don’t understand it.
As we wrote in our recent end-of-year feature Making a Latino Superstar, the Dominican-Trinidadian rapper remains an important gatekeeper, one who can help build a sustainable future for Latinos in the mainstream U.S. pop market.
Watch the full clip below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdMevQZhMOD/?taken-by=iamcardib