"Be Careful" is a song recorded by American rapper

Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus (, ; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper and songwriter. She first gained popularity as an influencer on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to early 2017, she appeared as ...

. It was released on March 29, 2018, as the third single from her debut studio album '' Invasion of Privacy'' (2018). The song was written by Cardi B, Jordan Thorpe, and produced by Boi-1da, Vinylz, and Frank Dukes. It contains an interpolation from " Ex-Factor", written and performed by Lauryn Hill, which itself samples " Can It Be All So Simple", written and performed by Wu-Tang Clan. The latter song also samples " The Way We Were". Therefore, Hill, the eight members of Wu-Tang Clan, and

Marvin Hamlisch Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. Hamlisch was one of only seventeen people to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. This collection of all four is referred to as an " EGOT ...

Alan Bergman Alan Bergman (born September 11, 1925) and Marilyn Keith Bergman (November 10, 1928 – January 8, 2022) were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celebrated telev ...

and Marilyn Bergman are credited among the composers. "Be Careful" peaked at number 11 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and topped the Rhythmic Songs chart. Internationally it reached the top 40 in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The song was certified triple platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). It received a nomination for Best Rap Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. On April 7, 2018, Cardi B performed the song on Saturday Night Live, where she revealed the pregnancy of her first child.

Background and release

A demo of some lines for "Be Careful" was first recorded by Pardison Fontaine, the stage name of Jordan Thorpe. Later, Cardi B added the hook and wrote the rest of the song, with production completed with the help of producers Frank Dukes, Boi-1da and Vinylz. Cardi was motivated to write the song when she was in New York City finishing her debut album, ''Invasion of Privacy'' (2018). Annoyed about her past romantic relationships and the unfaithfulness in them, she found herself tense and upset – prioritising work, with too many bad thoughts. Initially some listeners believed the song was addressed to Cardi's fiancé, rapper

Offset Offset or Off-Set may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Off-Set", a song by T.I. and Young Thug from the '' Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'' * ''Offset'' (EP), a 2018 EP by singer Kim Chung-ha * ''Offset'' (film), a 200 ...

, however she denied this. The song was released a week after its recording with " Drip" in February 2018.

Composition

Cardi B performs the hook using a softly sung vocal style over a "laidback" beat. The song also comprises "flickering"

hi-hat A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist o ...

s and "slick" synths. Lyrically, "Be Careful" is a song about infidelity, where the performer warns her cheating partner and asks him to treat her better. During an interview, Cardi B expressed she drew inspiration from past relationships, while denying that the song was directed at her fiancé

Chart performance

"Be Careful" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at 16 on April 14, 2018, before rising and peaking at 11 the next week after the release of Invasion of Privacy. The song spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.

Music video

Directed by Jora Frantzis, the song's music video premiered on May 21, 2018. The clip opens with a wedding in a church filled with Jesus statues and crucifixes located in the middle of the dessert. Cardi B walks down the aisle in a wedding dress. The clip shifts to a darker hue as the rapper returns to the church, this time for her husband's funeral. The music video was filmed at the Sanctuary Adventist Church in Lancaster, California.

Live performances

On April 7, 2018, Cardi B performed "Be Careful" on '' Saturday Night Live''. During the performance she revealed her pregnancy.

Awards and nominations

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{authority control 2018 songs 2018 singles Atlantic Records singles Cardi B songs Songs written by Cardi B Song recordings produced by Boi-1da Song recordings produced by Vinylz Songs written by Boi-1da Songs written by Vinylz Songs with lyrics by Marilyn Bergman Songs with lyrics by Alan Bergman Songs written by Raekwon Songs written by Marvin Hamlisch Songs written by Method Man Songs written by RZA Songs written by Lauryn Hill Songs about infidelity Songs written by Pardison Fontaine Song recordings produced by Frank Dukes