Cardi B Electrifies Los Angeles with Ambitious Arena Tour Spectacle
As anticipation mounted at Los Angeles's Kia Forum for the first of Cardi B's two sold-out arena shows, the Grammy-winning Bronx rapper set the tone with an extended visual depicting a murder of crows. This striking image nods directly to the cover of her latest studio release, 2025's score-settling album Am I the Drama?, where the birds surround Cardi against a storm-laced sky. The reference is intentional: crows are known for their intelligence, cunning nature, and ability to hold grudges for decades. Cardi's dramatic arrival on stage further underscored this ominous atmosphere; she appeared with a long shadow behind her as a snippet of the album opener Dead played, with lyrics declaring, "I'm collecting body bags like they purses / I don't even rap no more, I drive hearses."
Vigorous Score-Settling and Brutally Witty Put-Downs
Cardi B emerged in a haute couture trench coat resembling battle armor, with a shock of white in her dark hair, evoking a Bronx-grown Cruella de Vil. She immediately launched into the braggadocious track Hello, accompanied by pyrotechnics and smoke effects, making her message clear: when crossed, she doesn't just seek to embarrass her enemies—she wants them in the ground. On Am I the Drama?, Cardi is at her most incisive when targeting adversaries. The aptly named Pretty & Petty focuses her ire on rapper Bia, who dissed Cardi on a 2024 track with the brutal line, "Name five Bia songs, gun pointin' to your head / Bow, I'm dead." Similarly, the highest points of her ambitious Los Angeles show revolved around snarling back at haters with expressive aplomb as she blitzed through three dozen songs in just under two hours.
Six-Act Concert Structure and Thematic Depth
Cardi began the six-act concert with a series of brutal numbers, including the ferocious Magnet, where her vocals seethed as she dialed into a nemesis deemed "trash since birth." This was followed by Salute, an ode to people with integrity, during which she clutched a fake rifle from below the stage, firing sparks into the sky. After the menacing double hook of Check Please and Trophies, Cardi appeared almost taken aback by her own savagery, playfully proclaiming to the crowd, "We started very motherfucking violent!"
For the show's second act, Cardi shifted focus to scorned lovers. A poignant rendition of Ring, a plaintive duet with Kehlani about unanswered calls, was performed supine on the floor while trapped in a birdcage suspended from the ceiling. Dancers acted out scenes of suspected cheating, most viscerally with Thru Your Phone, a 2018 track detailing catching a paramour whose lies were undone by technology.
Rampant Horniness and Raunchy Routines
Beyond gleeful revenge, Cardi's calling card is rampant horniness, and she romped through raunchy numbers including her remix of Blueface's Thotiana, employing a chair for a seductive dance routine. Her timing was slightly off here; at her Las Vegas show two days prior, she briefly fell off the chair and cheekily blamed "the government" for the error. This suggests some kinks remain to be smoothed out, particularly during the more tamped-down energy of the fourth act when she seemed a little winded. However, the crowd remained fully engaged throughout the spectacle, bellowing lyrics and grinding during the final two acts as Cardi unleashed her most high-octane hits and sizzling choreography on a revolving carousel resembling a strip club.
Celebrating Latin Roots and Defiant Messages
The most stirring moments of the show celebrated Cardi's Latin heritage, featuring an act with her boogaloo trap hit I Like It and the breakneck-speed Bodega Baddie. In the latter, a defiantly merengue-steeped ode to her lineage, she salsa danced as dancers hoisted flags of Latin American countries high onstage. This was a pointed touch for Cardi, who made a crack about her fans "jumping" ICE at the tour's opener last week. Her message was clear: let them eat crow.
Overall, Cardi B's Los Angeles performance was a masterclass in ambitious spectacle and sizzling choreography, blending vigorous score-settling with brutally witty put-downs. The sold-out crowd at the Kia Forum witnessed an electrifying display of hip-hop prowess, solidifying her status as a dynamic force in the music industry.
