"Be Careful" is a song by American rapper

Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Cephus (; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper. Noted for her unfiltered public image and lyrics, Cardi B is one of the most successful female rappers. From 2015 to early 2017, she ga ...

from her debut studio album ''

Invasion of Privacy The right to privacy is an element of various legal traditions that intends to restrain governmental and private actions that threaten the privacy of individuals. Over 185 national constitutions mention the right to privacy. Since the global ...

'' (2018). It was released on March 30, 2018, as the third single from the album. The song was written by Cardi B, Jordan Thorpe, and produced by

Boi-1da Matthew Jehu Samuels (born October 12, 1986), known professionally as Boi-1da (a play on Boy Wonder) is a Canadian record producer and songwriter based in Toronto, Ontario. He is an in-house producer for Drake's OVO Sound label and has prod ...

Vinylz Anderson Hernandez (born September 2, 1989),Rys, Dan (July 11, 2013)"‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ Behind The Scenes: Five Producers Who Helped Craft The Album". '' XXL''. Accessed on July 11, 2013. professionally known as Vinylz, is an American ...

, and

Frank Dukes Adam King Feeney (born September 12, 1983), better known as Ging and by his former stage name Frank Dukes, is a Canadian musician, record producer, and songwriter. A prolific producer, he has worked with artists including Lorde for ''Melodrama'' ...

. It contains an interpolation from "

Ex-Factor "Ex-Factor" is a song by American recording artist Lauryn Hill for her debut solo studio album ''The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'' (1998). Written and produced by Hill herself, it incorporates elements of R&B, neo soul and hip hop soul. The son ...

", written and performed by

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American musician. She is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the popular music, m ...

, which itself samples " Can It Be All So Simple", written and performed by

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...

. The latter song also samples "

The Way We Were ''The Way We Were'' is a 1973 American romantic drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. Arthur Laurents adapted the screenplay from his own 1972 novel of the same name, which was based on his ...

". 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. He is one of a handful of people to win Emmy Awards, Emmy, Grammy Awards, Grammy, Academy Awards, Oscar, and Tony Awards, Tony awards, a feat ...

Alan Bergman Alan Bergman (born September 11, 1925) and Marilyn Keith Bergman (née Katz; 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 celeb ...

and

Marilyn Bergman Alan Bergman (born September 11, 1925) and Marilyn Keith Bergman (née Katz; 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 celeb ...

are credited among the composers. "Be Careful" peaked at number 11 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and topped the

Rhythmic Songs The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

chart. Internationally it reached the top 40 in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The song was certified

triple platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

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 The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance is an honor presented to recording artists for quality rap performances. It was first presented at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989 and again at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1990, after which p ...

at the

61st Annual Grammy Awards The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and fo ...

. On April 7, 2018, Cardi B performed the song on

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

, 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 Jorden Kyle Lanier Thorpe (born December 29, 1989), better known by his stage name Pardison Fontaine, is an American rapper and songwriter from Newburgh, New York. He is best known for his 2018 single "Backin' It Up" (featuring Cardi B), which ...

, the stage name of Jordan Thorpe. Later, Cardi B added the

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

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 New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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

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" in February 2018.

Composition

Cardi B performs the

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 music, rock, popular music, pop, jazz, an ...

s and "slick" synths. Lyrically, "Be Careful" is a song about

infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include non-consensual non-monogamy, cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, se ...

, 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 Offset.

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

. 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 Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the popul ...

Live performances

On April 7, 2018, Cardi B performed "Be Careful" on ''

''. 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