Cardi B (rapper) life and biography

Born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx, New York City, Cardi B became an Internet celebrity after several of her posts and videos became popular on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to 2017, she appeared as a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York; later 2017 she release two mixtapes—Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.

The rapper's mother and father come from Trinidad and the Dominican Republic, respectively. Being raised by two working parents in Highbridge, South Bronx - a predominantly Latino neighborhood - Cardi B grew up surrounded by multicultural influences.

Recognized by Forbes as one of the most influential female rappers of all time (with a whooping 75 million followers on Instagram), Cardi B is known for her aggressive flow and candid lyrics, which have received widespread media coverage. Her debut studio album, Invasion of Privacy (2018), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, broke several streaming records, was certified triple platinum by the RIAA and named by Billboard the top female rap album of the 2010s.

Cardi B stage name didn't actually originate from the rapper's birth name, Belcalis Almanzar. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Cardi B explained that her title is actually short for Bacardi (the rum). "My sister's name is Hennessy," Cardi B explained to the talk show host. "So everyone used to call me Bacardi, and I started calling myself Bacardi," which eventually was shorted to Cardi B.

On why she started stripping, Cardi B said it was a way to get out of an abusive relationship. "I was living with my boyfriend who was beating my ass," she explained in a 2016 interview with VLAD TV. "Stripping gave me my own money to leave him." When she saved up enough money, she actually invested in her music career and released her first mixtape.

"Bodak Yellow," the rapper's breakout major label debut single, was an instant success, soaring to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The hit was also historic, because the success made Cardi the first solo female rapper to have a number one hit since Lauryn Hill’s 1998 single “Doo Wop (That Thing),” and the fifth female rapper in history to have an album top the charts.

In 2020 Cardi B released the single "WAP" featuring American rapper Megan Thee Stallion on August 7, 2020 as the first single off her forthcoming second studio album. The song received critical acclaim and was praised for its sex positive messages. The Colin Tilley-directed music video accompanied the song itself, and broke the record for the biggest 24-hour debut for an all-female collaboration on YouTube.

With 93 million streaming units, it became the largest first-week streams for a song, breaking the all-time record held by Ariana Grande's "7 Rings". It has spent three weeks atop the Hot 100. The single also reached number one in six other countries, including Australia and the United Kingdom. Neil Shah of The Wall Street Journal deemed it "a big moment for female rappers" and "a historic sign that women artists are making their mark on hip-hop like never before". "WAP" became the first number one single on the inaugural Billboard Global 200 chart.

Read more