Cardi collaborator takes the stage…
[Video]
[6.33]
Tobi Tella: I had never heard of Pardison Fontaine before I listened to this song, but his charisma immediately grabbed me — his verses are fantastic, smart, and effortlessly funny compared to some of the dreck that gets lauded as great punchlines in the SoundCloud Rap era. Cardi has been getting more hit or miss lately, but this is definitely a hit — she fits in perfectly to the style of the song and her verse just makes it better. More of this and less mumble rap, please?
[8]
Iris Xie: Honestly, I trust and believe Cardi B whenever I hear her. She just always seems to express the right amount of incredulous “what kind of bullshit you are trying to pull on me, seriously fuck you I’m not going to deal with you” mentality that should also be part of 6th grade attitude curriculums for young girls, because the world is mean to womxn, y’all. “What the fuck you mean, “Relax”? and “Lookin’ this good should be a sin, you should call me cinnamon/Cardi B, bad bitch, those is fuckin’ synonyms” made me crack up with its level of directed honesty and humor. And honestly, that dragging of the vowels of “mad” and “bad” is infectious, chewy, and smooth. And together with an underground-shaking bassline and a flute distorted through what sounds like a cyberpunk Brita filter. Sounds good!
[8]
Edward Okulicz: It’s braggy, but in a fun way, and packed with lots of quotables too. I particularly like how in the middle of a line, Fontaine will just extend a word for comic and rhythmic effect. Sometimes it’s to emphasise a punchline, sometimes it just throws you off, and it’s an interesting tic I hope he uses elsewhere.
[7]
Alfred Soto: This is the first time in months that Cardi has a headliner worthy of her. By himself Pardison Fontaine is another empty boaster with a nervous eye on #MeToo; with Cardi he strikes up a dialogue that’s tense, vulgar, and erotic. You know how certain couples make us shake our heads at the absurdity of their existence?
[6]
Thomas Inskeep: Fontaine’s lyrics (he co-wrote 12 of 13 songs on Invasion of Privacy) sound better when Cardi’s rapping them. Much better. And without her feature (almost a co-starring role), this song isn’t much.
[4]
Joshua Minsoo Kim: You can imagine the huge grin on Pardison Fontaine’s face when he snarls “I’m the king of talkin’ shit, then backin’ it up.” His verses have the same loud energy that characterized his previous tracks, but it’s Cardi B’s charismatic presence that finally makes this convincing. Considering Fontaine co-wrote 12 of 13 songs on Invasion of Privacy, his claim to fame has been in supporting Cardi and letting her take the spotlight. With “Backin’ It Up,” we finally have this idea presented in song.
[5]