Here's Why Everyone In Your Office Is Still Talking About The Cardi B Instagram Video

Without a doubt, the government shut-down is upsetting more than a few people, but when rap superstar and cultural phenomenon Cardi B gets into the mix, you know things are serious. For the few who may not know, this recording artist, who burst onto the scene not long ago, has broken all kinds of sales records in various categories and has been named by Time as one of their most influential people for 2018. But Cardi really broke records as a political commentator-of-sorts when she dropped what is now being called "The Cardi B Government Video" on Instagram the other day.

At the writing of this piece, the video has been already viewed over 12 million times on Instagram and every outlet from CNN to E! has written about the content.  Just a few hours ago, after nearly two days since initial release(an eternity in today's world), ABC News Politics official Twitter feed is still posting quotes from the video along with her image.

Raw, honest, compelling and wonderfully timed to coincide with her latest "Twerk" video , Cardi B holds back nothing in concerns, fears and disgust about the current government shut down. And it's a lot more engaging and provoking to watch than the typical, polished commentary from the standard talking heads on the various cable news outlets.

But we know all this already.

Where the intrigue lies is in the aftermath.  First,  most mainstream media outlets that reported on the video seem to actually be surprised that Cardi makes such valid points about the shutdown.  The important element to realize about popular culture, particularly when it is expressed across social media, is that those who are tastemakers within it are naturally plugged into cultural sentiment 24/7. This has to be the case otherwise followers and fans would be virtually non-existent. That's what makes for an influencer. Cardi B has, just like most pop culture tastemakers, not only has her ear to the ground, she is part of that prime ground and can express it. Chuck D first said rap (and by extension, those within the culture) are akin to the CNN of the ghetto, remember? That has not changed.

It is often times hard for those who move in rather insular cultural and professional circles to truly understand this manner of being. Unlike many executives safely tucked away in ivory towers each day, those immersed in true pop culture (rather than studying it from focus groups) organically know about all facets of anything that matters to trendsetters. And they know it and live it across the board.

As politics is pop culture and has become so more or less since the advent of President Barack Obama (but due to many more circumstances than the individual, himself)  of course Cardi, and others, have their fingers on the pulse in this realm, too.  So it is wise to never underestimate such figures. There is always much more than meets the eye.  All in the business realm, especially in media and marketing, would be wise to understand that being data rich, yet culturally-intelligent poor and oblivious is definitely a deficit, particularly in disruptive times.

The second element that makes tracking this scenario so captivating is also watching the ensuing Twitter discussion by policymakers on Capitol Hill as to whether or not to share the video once it starts to blow up given that the points Cardi makes are great but definitely come with an NC-17 rating, to say the least.

Yet what is important to understand here is that it really no longer matters whether, with all due respect, those in "authority" chose to share this video or not. Cardi's fanbase has dubbed it valid, important and a source of news commentary. And those who do not still add to the fuel by digitally debating whether or not she should make such comments.

The entire scenario is nearly the definition of the term social media echo-chamber and creates an edgy cultural moment. Indeed, Cardi B probably reached more constituents of various policymakers in a particular demo within minutes with this online video, heck, any online video, than a congress member or senator could while they debate sharing her current post.

Indeed, the policymakers are trying to kind of actually keep up or at least ride the news wave surrounding Cardi B's messaging but simply cannot due to social and professional constraints about which that Cardi will never have to think twice. These are two different sub-cultural worlds that exist in parallel but with rather different norms and codes that definitely impact speed in exchange of ideas and concepts. Truly, this is now about the power and the beauty of being able to deliver one's own personal, edgy state-of-the-union-address-of-sorts at any moment and drop it like a surprise album on Apple's iTunes - if you've got the fanbase already.

Finally, what's amazing to watch is the digital commentary associated with the video. This is a much richer experience than just the video, itself. Everything from "Who is Cardi B?" to "Go, Girl!" pops up. But the takeaway here is that a good amount of the digital commentary, at least on, Twitter was not so much about Cardi herself but actually more about the points she is making, what people feel should be done next about the overall situation and how they actually feel about the shutdown. It's political discussion among U.S. citizens centered around the delivery from a Millennial woman of color, perfectly coiffed with flawless makeup application and as raw as it gets in verbal delivery across a tech platform. Welcome to the new era of digi-culture power.