"Press" is a song written and performed by American rapper Cardi B, released as a single on May 31, 2019. The single was produced by Slade Da Monsta and

Key Wane Dwane Marshall Weir II (born July 12, 1990) is an American hip hop/R&B producer and songwriter, professionally known as Key Wane. Wane has produced for artists such as Big Sean, Jazmine Sullivan, Beyoncé, Drake, Jhene Aiko, Wale, Lil Wayne, ...

. It debuted and peaked at number 16 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song has been certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

by the

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(RIAA). The

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-labeled music video, starring Cardi B as a naked rampage killer facing a trial, marked her directorial debut.

Promotion

In December 2018, Cardi B posted a video to

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of her rapping part of the song. She later said that she was set to release it soon after, but decided to release the music video for "

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

" instead. On May 27, 2019, Cardi B tweeted that the "single and official cover art drops this Friday 5/31". She shared the cover art of the single, which features her escorted out of a court room entirely naked by a group of men with paparazzi taking pictures of her.

Critical reception

"Press" received generally positive reviews from

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, with many noting the evolution of the rapper's attitude towards the media in the lyrics from previous songs such as "

Bartier Cardi "Bartier Cardi" is a song recorded by American rapper Cardi B featuring guest vocals from Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage. It was released on December 22, 2017, as the second single from her debut studio album ''Invasion of Privacy'' (2018). The ...

" and her featured verse on husband Offset's single " Clout"; ''

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'' called the song "defiant", while '' Billboard'' labelled her as "pressing on" amid "bad press, haters, beefs". ''

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'' praised Cardi being "now fully ready to take aim at any haters" while noting the deviation between "non-stop cut-downs" and "goofier boasts about her money and sexual prowess"; the magazine also stated that the rapper had "sharpened her rapping abilities to deadly effect" in the song.

Music video

Cardi B announced that the video for "Press" would be released in June 2019 on her

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. The video was then officially released on June 26, 2019, on her

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account. It was directed by Jora Frantzis and co-directed by Cardi. The

-marked music video has since received over 100 million views. The video opens with Cardi B's character shooting a male and a female after having a

threesome In human sexuality, a threesome is commonly understood as "a sexual interaction between three people whereby at least one engages in physical sexual behaviour with both the other individuals". Though ''threesome'' most commonly refers to sexua ...

. Accused of murder, she then is arrested and taken to an interrogation, where she challenges the officers. She is seen leading a choreographed routine with a crew of nude dancers. She killed a courtroom jury and the dancers. The clip closes with her angrily drowning her cellmate in the toilet.

Live performances

The first televised performance of "Press" was when Cardi B performed live at the 2019 BET Awards, along with a performance of " Clout" featuring her husband Offset. ''

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'' named it "the top moment" of the night in their review article.

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ranked the esmerald attire as the best performance outfit since their first show in 2001. Introduced by

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

, Cardi B opened her set at the 2019

OVO Fest OVO Sound (also known simply as OVO) is a Toronto-based Canadian record label, founded in 2012 by hip hop artist Drake, producer 40, and Oliver El-Khatib. It operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Warner Music Group's Warner ...

performing "Press".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{Cardi B 2019 singles 2019 songs Cardi B songs Songs about the media Music video controversies Song recordings produced by Key Wane Songs written by Cardi B Songs written by Klenord Raphael