Cardi B

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Encyclopaedia Britannica’s editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Recent News

Cardi B (born October 11, 1992, Bronx, New York, U.S.) American rapper who vaulted onto the music scene in the late 2010s with the release of the hit single “Bodak Yellow” (2017). With her spirited and unapologetic personality and empowering lyrics, she was especially popular among young women. In 2019 she became the first solo female rapper to win a Grammy Award for best rap album.

Early life and career

Cardi B was born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar in the Bronx, New York. Her mother was from Trinidad, and her father was from the Dominican Republic. Her younger sister, Hennessy, was named after a brand of cognac, and Almánzar was called Bacardi, a brand of rum, to match. She eventually shortened the nickname to Cardi B. Her parents separated when she was a preteen, but she had a large extended family that often supported her. From a young age Cardi B was interested in performing, and she later attended the Renaissance High School for Musical Theater and Technology in the Bronx. After graduating she enrolled in college but struggled to balance classes with a low-paying job at a deli. At age 19 Cardi B started working as a stripper in order to earn money quickly and escape an abusive relationship.

Love & Hip Hop: New York and first mixtapes

Cardi B often posted on social media, sharing candid, no-nonsense conversations about her experiences, many of which went viral. She leveraged her social media fame to become an influencer. In 2015 Cardi B joined the cast of Love & Hip Hop: New York, a reality television series following aspiring rappers. She was on the show for two seasons, through early 2017, before leaving to concentrate on her music. In the meantime, she made her musical debut in 2015 with Jamaican singer Popcaan on reggae singer Shaggy’s song “Boom Boom.” The following year she released her first mixtape, Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1, which included one of her first hits, “Foreva.” Her next mixtape, Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 2, was released in 2017 and featured rapper Offset (Kiari Kendrell Cephus), who was part of the group Migos, on “Lick.” Cardi B married him that same year and gave birth to their daughter, Kulture Kiari, in 2018, and son, Wave, in 2021.

“Bodak Yellow” and Invasion of Privacy

In 2017 Cardi B signed with Atlantic Records. The first song she released, “Bodak Yellow,” became a huge hit, The New York Times calling it “the rap anthem of the summer.” It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts. It also earned her Grammy nominations for best rap song and best rap performance. Later in 2017 Cardi B collaborated on G-Eazy’s song “No Limit” and on Migos’s single “MotorSport.” With these releases, Cardi B became the first female to have her first three releases hit the top 10 on the Hot 100 chart as well as the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart. By early 2018, after she had released more collaborations and a second single, she became the first female to have five top 10 singles on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart at the same time.

Cardi B released her debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy, in 2018. The song “I Like It” reached number one on the Billboard 100, making Cardi B the first female rapper to have two songs reach the top of the chart. Cardi B earned five nominations at the 2019 Grammys, including record of the year for “I Like It.” She made history when Invasion of Privacy won best rap album. That same year Cardi B also made her feature film debut in Hustlers, playing a stripper alongside Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu.

“WAP” and other work

In 2020 Cardi B began releasing singles to tease her next album. The first song was “WAP,” a tribute to female sexual desire featuring Megan Thee Stallion. It opened at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart and made history with 93 million U.S. streams, the most for a song’s opening week. That same year she also collaborated with K-pop girl group Blackpink on “Bet You Wanna,” Puerto Rican performer Anuel AA on “La Bebe,” and Brazilian singer Anitta on “Me Gusta.” In subsequent years Cardi B released “Up” (2021) and “Hot Shit” (2022). At the end of 2022 she revealed on The Breakfast Club, an American syndicated radio show, that she was still working on her sophomore album. Although Cardi B sounded hesitant about it, she stated, “I have no choice.…I have to put it out.”

From Regula, Degula to Superstardom: A Timeline of Cardi B’s Meteoric Rise to Fame

Born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar in October 1992 to a Dominican father and Trinidadian mother, The Bronx native got her moniker after going by Bacardi (yes, like the rum) for some time. Cardi B’s younger sister, Hennessy Carolina, also chose an alcohol-inspired nickname.

2011: Cardi B goes viral

Cardi B started stripping when she was 19 years old (after getting fired from an Amish supermarket), keeping her decision to dance under wraps from her relatives for years. While dancing, Cardi became an Internet sensation after her videotaped rants went viral on Vine and Instagram.

Later, the “Bodak Yellow” rapper would reveal more details about her pole-dancing days and her mother’s displeasure with her working as an exotic dancer to Cosmopolitan.

“When my mom found out I was a dancer, she was pretty upset,” Cardi told drag queen Naomi Smalls in a video for Cosmopolitan in 2018. “Me knowing that she used to hate it, it didn’t allow me to get comfortable with what I was doing.”

She added, “People say, ‘Why do you always got to say that you used to be a stripper? We get it.’ Because y’all don’t respect me because of it, and y’all going to respect these strippers from now on … Just because somebody was a stripper don’t mean they don’t have no brain.”

2015-2017: Cardi B stars on ‘Love & Hip Hop: New York’

Starting in 2015, Cardi B made waves as the “regula, degula, schmegula girl from the Bronx” on Love & Hip Hop: New York, where her personality instantly made her a fan favorite. She had a hard time convincing other cast members that she had talent when it came to music but always had faith that she would eventually make it.

Best known for saying things like, “If a b—- beef with me, we ‘gon beef. foreva” and throwing a shoe at a rival, Cardi only appeared on the show for two seasons, but she is a Love & Hip Hop legend.

May 1, 2017: Cardi B is rumored to be dating Offset

In May 2017, rumors began to circulate that Cardi B was seeing Migos rapper Offset after they were spotted enjoying themselves at a Met Gala afterparty. The couple actually had their first date three months earlier at the Super Bowl.

“My first date, I went big,” Offset told guest host Anthony Anderson during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2021. “I wanted to do something that was not normally done, you know what I’m saying? I wanted to have fun . so I took her to the Super Bowl.”

June 16, 2017: Cardi B releases major label debut single “Bodak Yellow”

When “Bodak Yellow” was released in June 2017, no one could have predicted how quickly it would catapult Cardi into the spotlight.

But catapult it did! The track became the song of the summer, and when it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July of that year, Cardi made history as the first solo female rapper to hit the milestone since Lauryn Hill did with her 1998 hit “Doo-Wop (That Thing).”

Cardi would go on to earn two Grammy nominations for best rap song and best rap performance for the hit.

August 28, 2017: Cardi B performs “Bodak Yellow” at pre-show for MTV Video Music Awards

Cardi B performed “Bodak Yellow” on the red carpet at the MTV VMAs pre-show, giving an iconic interview that made her a meme queen. She also presented a Moon Person at the awards show.

September 14, 2017: Cardi B attends Rihanna’s Diamond Ball

Cardi B stunned in her off-the-shoulder ball gown by Christian Siriano at Rihanna’s Diamond Ball. Scoring an invite to the exclusive event meant that Cardi and her robin’s egg blue dress were RiRi-approved.

October 27, 2017: Offset proposes to Cardi B during a concert in Philadelphia

Offset proposed to Cardi B on stage during an Oct. 27 performance at Power 99’s Powerhouse concert in Philadelphia, and Cardi accepted.

Though, as we’d later learn from TMZ, the stars were already married at the time of the proposal, having previously tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Atlanta on Sept. 20, 2017, with only Cardi’s cousin as the witness.

January 4, 2018: Cardi B is featured on the remix of Bruno Mars’ 2016 single “Finesse”

March 11, 2018: Cardi B’s outfit sparks pregnancy rumors

Cardi B’s fashion choices got the rumor mill churning as fans suspected she was pregnant. Here, she’s pictured at the iHeart Radio Music Awards (accepting the award for best new artist) wearing a tulle skirt that had everyone talking.

April 6, 2018: Cardi B releases her debut studio album

In April 2018, Cardi B released Invasion of Privacy, her first studio album, and the record debuted at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart.

The album was highly anticipated, as fans speculated that Cardi would end up being a one-hit wonder.

April 7, 2018: Cardi B reveals pregnancy during ‘Saturday Night Live’ performance

The day after Invasion of Privacy dropped, Cardi went on Saturday Night Live and revealed that she and Offset were expecting their first child together. While rocking a tight sheer white dress during her performance of “Be Careful” from the album, the rapper revealed her baby bump.

“I’m finally free,” she said in a video posted on social media following her performance, signaling to the months she spent stylishly hiding her pregnancy amid widespread speculation and rumors.

April 13, 2018: Cardi B performs at Coachella

Cardi didn’t let pregnancy slow her down! She werked and twerked all over the stage at Coachella in April 2018. She was joined by special guests G-Eazy, Chance The Rapper, 21 Savage and Kehlani.

April 19, 2018: Cardi B named one of ‘TIME’s’ 100 Most Influential People

Cardi absolutely proved the haters wrong as Invasion of Privacy broke all sorts of records.

She was the first woman to have three No. 1 singles on the Billboard chart, it was Apple’s fifth most-streamed album of all time and the album had 100 million streams on Apple Music in its first week.

In 2018, Cardi was also named one of TIME‘s 100 Most Influential People, with actress Taraji P. Henson penning a touching essay on the rapper for the magazine.

“When her mixtape came out, I thought, That’s it. She found it! She’s clear on her talent, and she’s not trying to get in anybody else’s lane,” Henson wrote. “She recorded ‘Bodak Yellow’ because it’s what she loved. Now she’s the biggest thing in music. And even with all those eyeballs watching, she’s still unapologetically herself. Cardi B’s here to stay, baby, and I’m happy to be a witness.”

May 7, 2018: Cardi B attends the Met Gala

You know you’ve made it when you score an invite to the Met Gala. Cardi showed up to the anticipated May event with her husband, Offset, dressed perfectly for the Heavenly Bodies theme.

July 10, 2018: Cardi B and Offset welcome daughter Kulture

Cardi and Offset welcomed baby girl Kulture Kiari Cephus into the world on July 10. She announced the news on Instagram alongside a nude maternity photo. Cardi dropped hints that her little bun in the oven would be a little girl back in May 2018, repeatedly referring to the new addition as “she” when talking to The New York Times.

August 20, 2018: Cardi B performs at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards

Cardi B opened the MTV Video Music Awards in 2018, teasing fans with a baby reveal fake-out. She was nominated 12 times that year, taking home three Moon Person trophies, including best new artist, best collaboration and song of summer for “I Like It,” featuring J Balvin and Bad Bunny.

September 7, 2018: Cardi B and Nicki Minaj get into an altercation

Cardi and rumored rival Nicki Minaj got into an altercation at the Harper’s Bazaar September party after Cardi B alleged that Minaj was spreading lies about her.

Cardi was elbowed in the head by a security guard and allegedly threw a shoe at Minaj before being escorted out.

October 1, 2018: Cardi B is charged with allegedly ordering an attack on two bartenders

Cardi B was escorted out of a New York precinct after turning herself in for allegedly ordering an attack on two bartenders at a strip club in New York. Allegedly, Cardi believed that the women were sleeping with her husband, Offset.

Cardi was charged with two misdemeanors, assault and reckless endangerment. In June 2019, she pleaded not guilty.

October 9, 2018: Cardi B performs at the 2018 American Music Awards

But drama with other A-listers and her legal woes didn’t bother the rapper — Cardi continued to dominate the charts and the awards circuit, hitting the 2018 American Music Awards to perform her hit Spanglish single, “I Like It.” Following her co-headlining performance at the Global Citizen Festival on Sept. 29, the AMAs marked the second live performance for Cardi after giving birth. She also thanked her daughter in her acceptance speech after winning favorite rap/hip-hop artist.

“I really want to thank my daughter,” she said. “I was so influenced when I was pregnant with her to be like, I gotta do this; I gotta show people wrong, prove people wrong — because they said I wasn’t gonna make it after I had a baby.”

December 5, 2018: Cardi B announces split with Offset

Cardi announced on Instagram in early December 2018 that she and Offset were calling it quits. The decision to end things came after months of infidelity rumors surrounding Offset.

Cardi wrote in the caption, “So everybody been bugging me and everything and you know, I’ve been trying to work things out with my baby father for a hot minute now and we’ve been really good friends and we know we’re really good business partners. And he’s always been somebody I run to, to talk to and we got a lot of love for each other but things just haven’t been working out between us for a long time and it’s nobody’s fault. I guess we just grew out of love but we’re not together anymore. I don’t know it might take time to get a divorce. And I’m always going to have a lot of love for him because he is my daughter’s father and, yea.”

Offset’s comment on the split was a somber, “Y’all won,” directed at the fans.