Released: 2018
“Thru Your Phone” by Cardi B is a visceral exploration of infidelity as she lyrically paints the picture of a woman scorned. In essence, it’s an intense flirtation with revenge, culminating in threats to the cheater and a narrative driven by raw emotion, anger, and betrayal.
Now, let’s plunge headfirst into the lyrical depths. The opening verse sets the stage with Cardi exposing the unfaithfulness of her man and her resolution to call him out on it. The line, “I just want to break up all your shit, call your mama phone” showcases Cardi’s intent to bring the cheater’s actions to light. She’s not just confronting him, but involving those close to him, making his actions impossible to deny.
The line “I seen y’all little group texts” and “I screenshotted all her naked pics” underscore to the metadata of modern cheating and the detailed concrete evidence therein. The reference to group texts and screenshots is a damning exposure of the cheater’s clandestine activities.
Her anger intensifies and becomes more destructive with, “I might just cut all the tongues out your sneakers, Smash your TV from Best Buy”. It’s her expression of exacting petty revenge, akin to Left Eye, referencing Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes of TLC, who once torched her boyfriend’s mansion in response to his unfaithfulness.
Drilling deeper into the chorus, “My heart is beating like it’s bleeding out” showcases the raw emotional pain and the betrayal is literally breaking her heart. Touches like “You sleeping like a baby” contrast with Cardi’s own insomniac torment, reinforcing the cheater’s blithe ignorance of the imminent emotional storm.
In the second verse, Cardi invokes Beyoncé’s “Resentment,” a track also dealing with infidelity, creating a continuum within the sisterhood of cheated women in pop music. Her disturbing image of serving cereal laced with bleach underscores how deeply the betrayal has affected her, pushing her towards thoughts of harm.
The line “You risk your whole home for a hoe from the bar?” exemplified her disbelief in his actions. The risk-reward calculation he employed, trading their relationship for a fleeting moment, she finds utterly incomprehensible.
Last but not least, the repeated refrain “I went through your phone last night, saw some things I didn’t like” is the linchpin of the song. The act of going through a partner’s phone, a modern infringement of privacy, but also an ambiguous ethical landscape when dishonesty is suspected. This desperate measure reflects the torment of her suspicions and amplifies the resulting confirmation of betrayal.
Ultimately, “Thru Your Phone” invites us to eavesdrop on a deeply personal moment of discovery, rage, and emotional turmoil. It’s a narrative soaked in the pain of betrayal, and a stark lesson that infidelity can trigger potentially disastrous consequences.
