Fans respond to Cardi B’s first appearance in Tallahassee

Photo credit: Nadia Felder 

The No. 1 artist on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, Cardi B, made her first appearance in the capital city of Tallahassee, Saturday at Play Sports Bar & Grill. In front of a full crowd, wearing her fitted, fiery red dress, Cardi B performed three of her hit records, her most anticipated “Bodak Yellow.”

The female MC’s career has boomed within the past six months with the “Bodak Yellow” single being the most-streamed song in the U.S. with 40.8 million streams, according to Nielsen Music.

Some of her day-one fans were looking forward to the former “Love & Hip-Hop” star’s braggadocious and gangster stage performance.

“She was really a character. Just how she is on TV,” said Florida A&M University (FAMU) student and event promoter, Simone Symonette. “I really enjoyed being close to her while she was on stage.”

Even as one of the top female Hip-Hop artist today, she seemed comfortable to party with her fans during her brief performance.

“That was one of the best performances I’ve seen in Tallahassee ever,” said event coordinator Kareem Lawrence. “She really knows how to interact with the crowd.”

Cardi B’s appearance seemed to be highly anticipated with nearly 1,000 ticket sales for Play in less than a month.

Yet, there were some fans who expected more from their favorite celebrity. Die-hard fans like Ashanti Jones, a FAMU nursing student, felt disappointed when others received more love from the superstar than the fans who actually paid.

“Cardi interacted with us as much a she could, but she interacted with Empire promoters more,” said Jones. The event was hosted by Empire Tattoos and DJ Wavy.

If the Bronx native returns to Tallahassee, music fans anticipate the visit to be a more intimate experience rather than a showcase.

DJ Loosekid, a premier disc jockey (DJ) in Tallahassee, was the primary DJ for the night. Loosekid said he appreciated that Cardi B was down-to-Earth with her crowd.

“Next time she should have a meet and greet with the fans, so that her fans feel like they met her,” said DJ Loosekid.