The South Bronx native nailed every tongue-twisting line in “Bodega Baddie” and “Bodak Yellow,” while keeping up with the Knicks City Dancers.
Stylist Kollin Carter chose leather, croc-embossed pieces Cardi could comfortably wear from courtside-to-court, beginning with a plunge bodysuit. Her under-bust corset added tons of texture to the spaghetti-strap halter top. The bustier’s asymmetrical scales looked surprisingly realistic when the spotlight shined down. Cardi B’s charcoal gray corset was so structured, it looked like it could stand on its own. Her fitted pants seemed to be constructed from the same rough-to-the-touch mold. Each light-to-dark leg clung to the “I Like It” rapper’s figure. Don’t worry, though. The stiff silhouette didn’t hold her back in the dancing department. Cardi’s three-minute performance revealed the leggings were more flexible than they looked.
Rocking a sleek grey bodysuit with her hair flowing, Cardi delivered a three-minute set that opened with “Bodega Baddie” from her recent album Am I the Drama? Dancers in orange Knicks jersey dresses surrounded her as she commanded center court at the Garden. She transitioned into her 2017 chart-topper “Bodak Yellow,” the track that first put her on the mainstream map as a No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. while fans watching on ABC got only a silent video clip of the performance, Barkley and the rest of the commentary panel had plenty to say.
“I don’t know if those B’s. They might be Cardi D’s,” Barkley quipped to laughter from Shaquille O’Neal, Draymond Green, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson. The comment immediately sparked conversation online, with Cardi herself resharing a post about both their names trending on twitter that same evening.
After wrapping her set, Cardi settled into courtside seats with her four-year-old son, Wave, for the second half.
