Ring
by Cardi B (featuring Kehlani)

Album: Invasion of Privacy (2018)
Charted: 28
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Songfacts®:

  • This smooth R&B jam features Cardi B and guest vocalist Kehlani complaining that their lovers don't "ring" them anymore.

    Nah, nigga now you gon' have to call me (call me)
    'Cause I'm lookin' at these messages, they all me (yeah)
    .

    A vulnerable Cardi expresses her pain as she waits by the phone for her man to call her.
  • The song was co-produced by:

    Michigan native Needlz, whose resume also includes supplying keyboard and drum programming plus strings for Bruno Mars' 2010 chart-topper "Just The Way You Are."

    Scribz Riley who is known for collaborating with artists such as Tove Lo ("Thousand Miles") and Khalid ("Winter").
  • "Ring" was co-penned by Los-Angeles based songwriter Nija Charles, who has also worked with the likes of Boi-1da, Diplo, and DJ Mustard as well as helping to write Jason DeRulo's 2018 FIFA World Cup anthem "Colors". She originally wrote a whole song, and Cardi ended up liking the hook, so the rapper and Kehlani added their own verses. Nija recalled to Genius:

    "I originally wrote 'Ring' as a full demo, it probably took me 30-45 minutes to make the whole song, but the hook came instantly. Once I got in the booth, it came out, so that took about 5-10 minutes to do."
  • Nija said that Needlz's production inspired her lyrics as "it just felt very honest and vulnerable." She added:

    "Those 'I miss you' type songs are always relatable, and that's the feeling that it brought out in the booth. I just blurted out [the hook]. It just came out, and usually when that happens, I don't question it. It's like I had no choice but to follow the progression of the production when the "ring, ring, ring, ring" comes. It just felt good.

    When it came to the second line, I was trying to get across that missing someone makes you swallow your pride sometimes. Our generation is notorious for hiding feelings and acting like we don't care."
  • This was the first time that Scribz Riley had ever met Needlz. He told Genius the story behind their beat. "After playing each other a couple of songs and getting familiar with each other, I pulled up the vocal sample. I was playing a bit quiet. Just trying to quietly feel out my sounds."

    Needlz asked Riley to turn up the vocal sample. He liked what he heard and saw it as "a good starting point" for the beat. So Riley pulled it up and it became the centerpiece of their production. From there, Scribz and Needlz worked together to build the beat.

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