US rapper Cardi B has announced that she would be disappearing for a long period of time to enable her complete her next album.

The ‘W.A.P’ rapper’s last album ‘Invasion of Privacy’ was released in 2018 but her hotly-anticipated follow-up was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking on the latest issue of XXL magazine – on which she is the cover star – Cardi said: “I feel like at this point, it’s like a timeline that I created. Because last year I was like: ‘I gotta put out my album this year.’ But, then I just stopped working on my album out of nowhere because I feel like the whole COVID thing discouraged me to put out my album. Because I want to put out an album, and I want to tour.

“I don’t feel like if I do like, an album promo run and everything, like, there’s no feeling to it, me doing interviews with people through a computer. I want to meet up with people. I want to have a conversation. It’s a better vibe.”

She said: “I love album release parties. I would love an album release party in New York. I could have one in Atlanta, but I want one also at home. And I want to see people. I shouldn’t fly out 50 of my friends just so they could be there in Atlanta and then somebody might catch COVID. No. So, it’s just something that I stopped, but then now that I keep putting out my singles, I keep saying like: ‘Damn. I have no choice but to put out my album this year.’”

When she did the interview, Cardi, 28, explained how she had  “a week of making sure I handle all my business, making sure everything is good, go to meetings … And then, I’m going away for a very long time to finish my album.”