Talking 'Bodak Yellow,' Prom Memories & Freedom with Cardi B

"Said little bitch, you can't fuck with me." If there were ever an opening lyric to announce the anthem of the summer for the crowd who've ceased to give a fuck, it's this. Dropped with searing precision at midnight, "Bodak Yellow" is the new single from underground queen and NYFW showstopper Cardi B and it does not disappoint. A meandering and sinister beat provides the backdrop for a relentless flow that confirms the rapper has taken her spot in the upper echelons of rap royalty.

Related | Queer Creatives Rocked The Boat on BRUJAS & Gypsy Sport's Anti-Prom Cruise

The track, inspired by the flow of rapper "Kodak Black" with a heavy-hitting Cardi B twist, is a celebratory nearly four-minute ode to making money and taking names. "If you want to feel like shitting on bitches [or] shitting on anybody, you're going to want to put that record on," she told OUT. "You're going to feel like you're making money moves."

It's a declaration worth celebrating for the artist who has made a career out of the glo up. With the wind in her hair and a tall boy Budweiser in her hand, she looked at peace as we sat onboard the queer Anti-Prom cruise that skate crew BRUJAS and designer Gypsy Sport had organized.

Created to celebrate the binary-defining creatives whose prom memories fell outside the patriarchal confines of the American tradition, the party was a perfect fit for the rapper whose own prom memories were less than ideal. "My prom date dumped me two weeks before and I was a little sad that everyone had limos and I didn't," she reflected solemnly before laughing it off.

Now, long past those prom memories, she has become a hero to the LGBTQ community and a forceful voice in the female rap game--and people are taking note. Next week, she'll be at the BET Awards celebrating nominations for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist and Best New Artist. With the awards and a new single, Cardi B has proven she's a revelation in the rap industry with a heart of gold.

Before stepping up to the mic onboard the Anti-Prom boat, she took a look at the crowd grinding under the lights of the Manhattan skyline and reflected on the beauty of the moment. "I'm really a I don't give a fuck ass person and that's what everyone on this boat is looking like," she said as she smiled at her fans. "I'm so happy because everybody looks like they're being free right now."