Being presumptive can get you in trouble more often than not, but sometimes you recognize a home run when you see one. “Bickenhead,” a standout track from Cardi B’s debut album Invasion of Privacy feels too obvious to miss. If you couldn’t guess from the title, the song is an homage to the forever classic “Chickenhead” by Project Pat and La Chat, with the production only slightly distinguishable and the chorus repurposed with different lyrics (“guap, guap, get some chicken, guap, guap, get some bread”). This makes it a pretty easy hit of a record but Cardi B twists it so what was originally a playfully confrontational back-and-forth between a man and woman becomes a full-on female boss anthem.
“This goes for all my nasty hoes,” Cardi begins before going into a boisterous rap for women to get hype to. It’s a song that seems all but guaranteed to be played at every party, barbecue, club, or bar that plays rap music throughout the summer, full of Instagram caption ready lines (“I’m young and I’m heartless / There’s a bitch that’s in my vision, that bitch is a target”) as well as raps that’ll just be fun to scream when you’re with friends and it comes on. “Pop that pussy while you work, pop that pussy up at church / Pop that pussy on the pole, pop that pussy on the stove” renders a twerk anthem in Dr. Seussian terms. “Bickenhead” is nasty, fun, and manages to take an already perfect song and update it effectively. In that sense, “Bodak Yellow” was no fluke.
Stream the track below:
