​​Why Was ‘Pepas’ So Damn Successful?

Earlier in the morning of Jan. 18, Tokischa took to Twitter to casually drop a hint at a future collaboration between her and Cardi B.

In a semi-cryptic tweet, Toki maybe confirmed there’s something in the works. It’s safe to say that if and when this collab drops, all social media will break.

The last couple of years has seen Toki come up from the underground Dominican music scene, collaborating with top, mainstream artists like Rosalía and J Balvin. But these days, fans on Twitter have been begging for a collab with another Dominican queen that upsets all the conservatives on the island, Cardi B. 

Thanks to La Cardi’s frequent use of Twitter, we witnessed her defend Tokischa back in Aug. 2021, when a Twitter hater called out Rosalía for collaborating with her. Cardi B replied by saying that “Many of the artists in Latin America are not supporting or encouraging Dominican artists,” which simply shows the lengths that she’ll go to support other Dominican artists, like herself. 

Since then, Toki and Cardi have not been shy about their blossoming friendship, as we witnessed via Tokischa’s tweet captioning a broken heart emoji over the fact that Cardi’s vodka infused whipped cream, Whipshots, was sold out online.

Yes, a couple of tweets does not guarantee a musical collaboration, but we’d be lying if we said we didn’t want them to join forces. When Cardi B first arrived on the scene, people lost their minds. She was vocal about her life as a stripper, which led to her becoming an internet personality who scandalized people with her truth until the release of her first single, “Bodak Yellow.” She made history as the first song by a female rapper to go Diamond. 

One could argue that Tokischa’s career is on a similar trajectory as Cardi’s. The Dominican rapper makes sex-positive music, enjoys empowering women, and does not shy away from controversy. Last year, the artist posted four images of herself praying to a mural of the Virgin of Altagracia in the Dominican Republic and both the church and government authorities went after her. 

It’s hard to ignore the parallels in Cardi B and Tokischa’s careers. As we sit and wait for more news on their collaboration, we’ll be tracking every single one of their Tweets in search of more clues.