Cardi B Reveals the Real Meaning Behind ‘Up’

“If it’s up, then it’s stuck” has a whole new meaning. During her appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Thursday night (Feb. 11), Cardi B was asked about the lyrics to her latest hit. She explained that Offset says the phrase “a lot,” but it originated from Southern slang.

“After the song came out, I thought it was like a Georgia thing. But then people is like, ‘No, we say that in New Orleans. We say that in Florida,’” she said.

Cardi B went on reveal that her new single was also inspired by something more, umm, unexpected. “So have you ever taken a poop, right, and it don’t come out?” she asked Fallon, who was caught off guard. “It’s just up and it’s stuck. Yeah.”

“It’s a metaphorical quote,” she added.

Cardi B, who stars in the upcoming Fast & Furious 9, says she felt pressure to deliver another hit after the chart-topping success of “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion. “The pressure was even more big because I haven’t released a solo single in like two years, so I was like, ‘Oh my God. I just wanna go top 10,’” she said. “And it’s predicted to go probably No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. So I’m like, ‘Oh wow, I exceeded my limit. I’m extremely happy.’”

Next up, she plans to release her sophomore album, the follow-up to her 2018 debut Invasion of Privacy. “I really want my project or anything that’s related to music to just be my album. I just gotta focus on a couple of more songs and do music videos and do the whole hoopty hoop.”

Also in the interview, Cardi B revealed the difficulties of filming her music videos during the pandemic and the protocols that must be followed on set.