Cardi B Reveals Her Pick for the Greatest Album of All Time That ‘Every Woman Should Listen To’
The project debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 in the mid-2000s.
Cardi B speaks during 2026 Beautycon University powered by Refinery29 at Rolling Greens DTLA on Sept. 19, 2026, in Los Angeles.
Cardi B loves her some Keyshia Cole. As part of her New York Times T Magazine feature about artists the publication considers its “Greats” published on Wednesday (Oct. 21), Cardi ran through plenty of her own “Greats” for a video segment, which found her naming Cole’s The Way It Is debut as the greatest album of all time.
“I was listening to that album when I was, like, 13, and I’m still listening to it when I’m 33,” she said. “Every woman should listen to that album.”
The Way It Is arrived in July 2005 and debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 with features from Jadakiss, Eve, Chink Santana and Metro City.
The Platinum-certified album remained on the chart for 64 weeks, powered by singles such as the Ye-produced “I Changed My Mind,” top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hit “I Should Have Cheated” (No. 31 peak) and “Love,” which reached No. 19 on the Hot 100.
Cardi isn’t the only artist to champion The Way It Is; R&B singer Ari Lennox hailed the project as “one of the most phenomenal debut albums ever” in 2019.
The “WAP” rapper and Cole have yet to collaborate on any music, but they were supposed to be in Jamaica earlier in October performing at BZR WKND Jamaica, but Cardi pulled out of the festival.
“Cardi B will not be performing at BZR WKND Jamaica on Oct. 18, 2026,” read a statement from Cardi’s reps to Billboard. “Cardi appreciates the love and support from her fans in Jamaica and hopes to see them in the future.”
Either way, it’s been a busy month for Cardi B, who made her Tiny Desk Concert debut on Monday (Oct. 19), which saw her deliver an impressive performance with a live band and give a renewed appreciation to her chart-topping hits.
See the rapper’s cover and photo shoot from her T feature below:
