She received much praise – and attracted a barrage of criticism – for serving up pure Hidden Valley raunch with last year’s infectious hit single WAP, alongside fellow rapper Megan Thee Stallion.

And Cradi appeared to take that feedback with a grain of salt, as she ‘upped’ the ante with her newest single Up – not to be mistaken with the 2009 Disney movie of the same name.

The Grammy winner 28-year-old left nothing to the imagination in a plastic see-through outfit, one of several sexy ensembles in the sizzling music video, in which she led a sapphic mermaid orgy.

Pretty in plastic: Cardi B left nothing to the imagination in a plastic see-through look, one of several sexy ensembles in the video for her new single Up

Freaky fish: Cardi let her not-so-inner freak shine, from the middle of a three-way tongue tangle with her troupe of dancers

The star embodies a wealthy widow, whose husband likely died in mysterious circumstances, as the video opens on her famous curves, scantily-clad in black.

She stands in her Christian Louboutins atop a tomb, reading ‘RIP 2020’, as it pans up her hose-covered legs and a black one-piece, adorned with jewels and crosses.

Cardi, real name Belcalis Almánzar, launches into the energetic track, as she struts around the cemetery in her provocative funeral look, worthy a hefty inheritance.

She breaks up a make-out session happening just feet away, as she moves in on her next husband-to-be while rapping in her signature raunchy style.

Dearly departed: The 28-year-old embodies a wealthy widow, whose husband likely died of mysterious circumstances, as the video opens on her famous curves, scantily-clad in black

Under the sea: The sizzling music video a sapphic mermaid orgy

Toy box: She even introduced some battery-operated fun into the mix, as she displayed a pink Vush vibrator with her blinged-out, turquoise-manicured hands

The Hustlers actress then channels her inner Rolls-Royce hood ornament, donning a plunging white number with a long cape that flows in the wind.

She served some stunning hand choreography on the hood of a big pink ride, with some dazzling dancers steering through a desert scene.

Cardi also had some support from some backup singers, in the form of Barbie doll heads strewn through her hair.

She offered a splash of color as she led a Banjee girl squad through a dance break, against a pink graffitied backdrop.

The Bodak Yellow hitmaker donned a baby blue look in skintight high-waisted short shorts with a matching cone bra halter top, wrapped in string.

Back in black: She stands in her Christian Louboutins atop a tomb, reading ‘RIP 2020’, as it pans up her hose-covered legs and a black one-piece, adorned with jewels and crosses

Widow vibes: Cardi launches into the energetic track, as she struts around the cemetery in her provocative funeral look, worthy a hefty inheritance

Moving on: She breaks up a make-out session happening just feet away, as she moves in on her next husband-to-be

She finished the look with the appropriate scrunchy ‘do, gold hoop earrings, matching bangles and some pumped kicks.

They served some A-squad material, as the group formed a pyramid, with head cheerleader Cardi gyrating at the middle.

Cardi then emerged from a giant silver shell, living her sea witch fantasy in a sexy gold ensemble with Ursula white hair.

She struck a Venus pose on red velvet bedding, as she lied snuggled between four other women in matching gold.

The slumber party quickly turned into a different kind of gathering, as heavy petting was followed by a steamy make-out session.

Riding shotgun: The Hustlers actress then channels her inner Rolls-Royce hood ornament, donning a plunging white number with a long cape that flows in the wind

Queen of the world: She served some stunning hand choreography on the hood of a big pink ride

Cardi let her not-so-inner freak shine, from the middle of a three-way tongue tangle, which is sure to make Ben Shapiro see red.

She even introduced some battery-operated fun into the mix, as she displayed a pink Vush vibrator with her blinged-out, turquoise-manicured hands.

The F9 actress then went totally nude under a clear plastic ensemble, as she lounged on top of a clear table, positioned on top of a naked man.

She served pin-up poses on the furniture, which was surrounded by gold bottles of Jay Z’s Champagne brand Armand de Brignac.

Cardi topped it off with a tribute to TLC in a black leather BDSM look, as she dropped it low in an industrial silver set, à la No Scrubs.

Ride share: She had some dazzling dancers steering through a desert scene

Doll face: Cardi also had some support from some backup singers, in the form of Barbie doll heads strewn through her hair

She donned a dominatrix chic number with leather straps, black fringe and fishnet stockings, while rocking a structured hairstyle that would make Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes weep.

It comes just days after Cardi teased the single, posing in nothing but pink pasties for the cover art.

Cardi recently said on YouTube that she ‘wanted a more hood song,’ adding: ‘I thought that my last song was more sexy… I wanted to do something more gangster, more cocky.’

In a new interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, the star admitted that she was feeling ‘nervous’ about releasing the music video, which has already sparked a buzz among her fans and detractors.

She said: ‘I’m good, but I’m very nervous. Oh my gosh. This week has been a really… Not a bad week, but a bad week for my nerves. I’ve been waking up early. I haven’t been able to eat, I’ve been like…Well, I don’t know.

Banjee babes: She offered a splash of color as she led a Banjee girl squad through a dance break, against a pink graffitied backdrop

Baby blues: The Bodak Yellow hitmaker donned a baby blue look in skintight high-waisted short shorts with a matching cone bra halter top, wrapped in string

‘I feel like I get criticized a lot, and scrutinized, so it’s just like everything… Everything. I always feel like I’ve got to be super, super, super perfect. I’m a Libra, so everybody’s opinion always counts to me.’

Speaking about how she approaches releasing new music, she explained: ‘My last song was very sexual, very sexual, so I always want my next songs to be different than the one before.

‘If a topic on one of my songs is money, the other topic, I want it to be about something else. When I started rapping, when I first put music out, like my mixtape, it was all… This might sound crazy, but I got really inspired by Drill Chicago music.

‘I was young, and I liked that and everything, so my mixtape was very all about gangster violence. If it’s up, then it’s stuck. That’s where I wanted to take it with this record.’

Stay gold: She finished the look with the appropriate scrunchy ‘do, gold hoop earrings, matching bangles and some pumped kicks

Go team! They served some A-squad material, as the group formed a pyramid, with head cheerlead Cardi gyrating at the middle

On the public’s reaction to WAP, which dominated the airwaves last summer, she said: ‘I was just really surprised. I was just so surprised, because everybody was raging. Like, “Oh my god. This song is so freaky and nasty.”

‘Even when I hear it, I’d be like, “This song, to me, is not as nasty and freaky,” because I grew up listening to freaky-ass rappers. I grew up with Lil’ Kim, Trina… Khia, Foxy, everybody. I feel like this is really mild, but I don’t know.

‘Nowadays, people just want to rave about everything. I feel because people have been wanting me and Megan to collab, so when a record like that was too freaky… I guess they wasn’t really expecting that, or something.’

However, the song also garnered much criticism, particularly from prominent Republicans on US cable networks.

Addressing, the backlash, she said: ‘I mean, because nowadays, people are just more open about their sexuality and everything. When WAP came out, the people that was criticizing it the most, they were like, “This is so nasty. This is so freaky.

Taking a dip: Cardi then emerged from a giant silver shell, living her sea witch fantasy in a sexy gold ensemble with Ursula white hair

Sapphic sirens: The slumber party quickly turned into a different kind of gathering, as heavy petting was followed by a steamy make-out session

‘I don’t even think it was like, I don’t know, religious people. It was really a lot of Republicans. Like, big Republicans. Not like senators… Like that. It was literally like those motherf***ers that got blue checks on Twitter.

‘They are big influencers. It’s just like, “Out of anything that y’all could have talked about…” Since, like I said, I was endorsing. I used to endorse Bernie [Sanders], and then Joe Biden.

‘They was just trying to figure a way out to pick on me. Like, “Oh, Joe Biden, is this the girl you were doing an interview with? The girl that’s talking about WAP? That’s what you want America to be influenced by?”

‘It’s like, “Bro, come on, now.” It was just a lot. I couldn’t believe it. When I saw that, when I saw Fox News talking so bad about WAP, I was like, “Are you serious? Really?”’

Venus pose: She struck a Venus pose on red velvet bedding, as she lied snuggled between four other women in matching gold

All clear: The F9 actress then went totally nude under a clear plastic ensemble, as she lounged on top of a clear table, positioned on top of a naked man

Popping bottles: She served pin-up poses on the furniture, which was surrounded by gold bottles of Jay Z’s Champagne brand Armand de Brignac

Having to spend time in lockdown alongside much of the rest of the world, Cardi B admitted that she struggled to write songs of substance while shut away from the outside world for an extended period of time.

She said: ‘I feel like I need a couple of more songs. I need… I don’t know. I need, like, eight more songs, and I need more things to happen. I just need more things to happen.

‘It’s like after I drop this record and I see what’s going on, I’m going to put it in my music, too. I don’t know. It’s hard, right now, also, to do music when nothing is happening. We’re not doing nothing. What can I rap about?

‘You’re not really doing s**t. And I’m not a person that likes to talk about my sensitive feelings. I don’t like to always rap about when I’m super sad and everything. It’s really hard to express certain feelings that I’ve got inside of me.

‘It’s really hard for me to express that. When it comes to love, and when it comes to emotions, when it comes to things that I have to deal with, it’s really hard for me to even talk about it to certain people, so it’s really hard to put it in the music and everything, but it’s just… I don’t know. I always debate myself. “Do I really want people to know everything that I be feeling?”’

’90s throwback: Cardi topped it off with a tribute to TLC in a black leather BDSM look, as she dropped it low in an industrial silver set, à la No Scrubs

BDSM chic: She donned a dominatrix chic number with leather straps, black fringe and fishnet stockings, while rocking a structured hairstyle that would make Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes weep

Pink pasties: It comes just days after Cardi teased the single, posing in nothing but pink pasties for the cover art