A video of Cardi B expressing fear about coronavirus has been remixed and turned into a smash hit song that is climbing the iTunes charts.
The US rapper went viral last week in a video posted to her Instagram, in which she revealed that she was worried about the pandemic, adding through cackles: “A bitch is scared – s*** is getting real.”
Soon after, a DJ and producer named iMarkkeyz, who has made a number of hip-hop tracks interpolating audio from internet memes, transformed the video into a song.
“For me to see everyone dancing, smiling, and not living in fear ... that’s the greatest thing I can do,” the DJ told BuzzFeed.
Cardi B herself has appeared to support the track, which is currently sitting at number eight on the iTunes charts. It is so far unavailable on Spotify or Apple.
“Stream I guess,” the rapper tweeted, adding on Monday (16 March): “The fact that this damn coronavirus song is charting on iTunes … Hold on … let me hit the DJ up and Atlantic [Records] so I can get my damn coins.”
It is not believed Cardi is actually making money from the track despite its success, with Rolling Stone reporting that as she owns the copyright to her initial Instagram video, she could have the track pulled down if she wanted to.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, iMarkkeyz said: “Me and my management and her management and everybody are in talks.”
A number of clips featuring the song and posted to the short-form video platform TikTok have gone viral since its release.
