Nationwide — Howard University, an HBCU in Washington, DC, is launching a Cardi B focused course for Fall 2026 that studies her music rollout, branding, and cultural impact. It uses her career as a case study for music business and media strategy.
Howard University will offer a three-credit Fall 2026 class titled “The Cardi B: Am I The Drama? The Art, Production, Marketing and Cultural Impact.” The Howard University Cardi B course focuses on her current era and how her rollout connects music, branding, media strategy, and cultural reach.
According to HBCU Buzz, the course is built in partnership with the Warner Music Blavatnik Center for Music Business. It looks at how production, marketing, and media planning work together using a real-time example from a major music campaign. Students will study how attention, storytelling, and timing shape modern releases.
Howard also ties the class into its growing hip hop studies program. The university’s Hip Hop Studies minor places hip hop history, influence, and industry practice across different fields. The Cardi B course fits into that structure by treating a current artist’s campaign as part of a wider music business system.
The class moves beyond songs and charts. It breaks down how artists build narratives through social media, visuals, partnerships, and public moments. It also looks at how audience behavior and online discourse affect how music spreads and stays relevant.
Dr. Msia Kibona Clark and Prof. Pat Parks will co-teach the course. The curriculum also brings in a hip hop feminist lens, focusing on themes like media framing, visibility, respectability politics, and the experience of Black women in entertainment spaces.
Howard’s approach connects classroom study with industry access through the Warner Music Blavatnik Center. The center supports students with mentorship, training, and exposure to music business networks, linking academic work with practical industry pathways.