Howard University Adds Course on Cardi B Album Campaign to Hip-Hop Studies Program

Howard University will teach a class about how Cardi B's second album got promoted. Am I The Drama? launches as a course during fall 2026. Students can take it as an elective in the hip-hop studies minor thanks to Warner Music Group.

The class examines why this album campaign worked so well. First-week sales topped 200,000 units, according to ThatGrapeJuice. Students will study what made this promotion work.

Am I The Drama? hit number one on the Billboard 200. The album dropped on September 19, 2025. Cardi B announced it on June 23, 2025 — seven years after Invasion of Privacy.

The campaign used different methods to get people talking. Alternative vinyl and CD covers came out weeks after the announcement, with versions called "Imaginary Playerz," "Pretty & Petty," and "Magnet."

A pop-up event and song called "Bodega Baddie" happened at a bodega in Washington Heights in September 2025. The rapper even mixed real-life court appearances into her promotion when she faced a lawsuit.

She revealed special CD versions on Sept. 3. Am I the Drama? ( Courtroom Edition) featured photos from her trial on the cover. A security guard had sued her over an alleged assault from 2018 at a medical office.

The album contains 23 tracks. Summer Walker, Selena Gomez, Kehlani, Dougie F, Lizzo, Cash Cobain, Lourdiz, Janet Jackson, Tyla, and Megan Thee Stallion all appear on it. Fan favorites "WAP" and "Up" made the cut, too.

Cardi B is touring now. The Little Miss Drama Tour has hit 19 stops with several sold-out shows already. Shows this week include Canada and East Coast performances.