KALI CATCHES FLAK FOR NOT KNOWING LUDACRIS’ ‘AREA CODES’ DESPITE BORROWING LYRICS

Kali has claimed she’s never heard Ludacris‘ smash hit “Area Codes” despite having a song of the same name – leaving people to give her the side eye.

The 22-year-old’s “Area Codes” has been steadily rising in popularity since its release earlier this year – even making for her Billboard Hot 100 debut when it arrived at No. 54 on the chart dated May 20. As of Thursday (June 1), the song sits at No. 33.

Talking to Complex about the song’s success, Kali put down the assumed notion that the track was in homage to Ludacris’ smash 2001 hit of the same name – revealing she’d never even heard his version.

“I didn’t even know there was any connection,” she explained. “Like, I never heard the Ludacris song before. So when people asked me that, I truly didn’t know what they were talking about. It was just super organic. When I hear people saying, ‘Oh, this is a Ludacris homage,’ I’m like, ‘Okay, but I really didn’t know anything about it.’ It was just like I literally felt like I got hoes in different area codes.”

While it gives context to note that she was born just one year before the song was released, some people on social media were upset that she wouldn’t know about it at all.

“Who’s her a&r?!?” one person wrote. Another said: “I mean that right there is the problem with a lot of these new rappers… how you go in a lane and so called profession and not know of what came before you? And nobody producing the track told her?!?”

Not everyone was upset, however, with some giving her a pass for her age. “I believe her… she’s 2, in music years. How would she know Luda or more importantly Nate dogg?” someone said, while another added: “Y’all she is 22. It’s not that hard to believe.”

While she may not have been listening to Ludacris growing up, Kali was definitely listening to Nicki Minaj and Aaliyah, citing them as inspiration while talking to HipHopDX last year.

“First off, I’ve got to give props to my mom,” Kali told DX. “She’s so tough, she’s so hardworking and she made me, obviously. She made me to be the person I am today. Also, Nicki the queen … she has definitely inspired me musically and creatively and Aaliyah. She [Aaliyah] was one of my favorites and just like her swag and how she carried herself was just really dope and I want to embody that.”

“Also, my grandmother raised me to a certain extent,” she continued. “I love her. She’s the person that pushed me to just do me and do what I want to do. I would also have to say my manager, she’s a mom to me, so my ‘momager,’ she’s my best friend’s mom and is the person who was like, you know what? We gonna do this thing, I’m gonna make sure your business [is] handled, I’ll make sure nobody play with you and we’re gonna take over.”