Cardi B
Belcalis Marlenis Cephus (née Almánzar; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper and songwriter.
Known for her aggressive flow and outspoken clever lyrics, Cardi B has established herself as one of the most successful female artists in contemporary music.
Born and raised in New York City, she first gained popularity through videos shared on Vine and Instagram.
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Cardi B
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Cardi B in 2021
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| Born |
Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar
October 11, 1992 New York City, U.S.
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| Other names | Belcalis Almánzar-Cephus |
| Education | Borough of Manhattan Community College |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2014–present |
| Spouse |
Offset
(m. 2017; sep. 2023) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives |
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| Musical career | |
| Genres |
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| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels | Atlantic |
| Website | cardib |
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From 2015 to early 2017, she appeared as a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York,
which depicted her pursuit of her music aspirations, and earned further recognition with the release of her two mixtapes: Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 (2016) and Vol. 2 (2017).
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).
Cardi B performing at the Openair Frauenfeld in July 2019
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.”
Personal life
Cardi B defined herself as a practicing Catholic. In 2016, Cardi B said that, while working as a stripper during her younger years, she used to drug and rob men to get money.
Following controversies on the matter, sparked in 2019, she defended herself by saying that she took money from them because they “wasted her time by falling asleep”, and then “kept coming back.”
In 2024, she spoke on the matter again, saying she “doesn’t feel bad” about drugging and robbing men and would do it again.
She identifies as bisexual. In connection with the Me Too movement, she has discussed being sexually assaulted in the past while working as a stripper.
In a 2018 interview, Cardi B talked about being Afro-Latina and Afro-Caribbean:
We are Caribbean people. […] Some people want to decide if you’re black or not, depending on your skin complexion,
because they don’t understand Caribbean people or our culture. […]
I don’t got to tell you that I’m black. I expect you to know about it.
When my father taught me about Caribbean countries, he told me that Europeans took over our lands. That’s why we all speak different languages. […]
Just like everybody else, we came over here the same way. I hate when people try to take my roots from me. Because we know that there’s African roots inside of us.
Relationships
In early 2017, Cardi B began dating fellow rapper Offset. They became engaged on October 27, 2017.
On April 7, 2018, during her second performance on Saturday Night Live, Cardi B revealed her pregnancy; she was about six months (24 weeks) pregnant at the time.
On June 25, 2018, TMZ found a marriage license revealing Cardi B and Offset had actually secretly married in September 2017, one month before the public proposal.
She later confirmed this in a social media post.
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Cardi B gave birth to her daughter on July 10, 2018. In December 2018, she announced on Instagram that she and Offset had separated, though the pair later reunited.
In February 2019, the couple made a public appearance for the Grammys. He accompanied her onstage during her acceptance speech for Best Rap Album.
In September 2020, it was reported that Cardi B had filed for divorce from Offset, but the following month it was revealed they were back together.
In June 2021, Cardi B revealed she was pregnant with her second child, a boy. She gave birth to her son on September 4, 2021.
On the fifth anniversary of her marriage, Cardi B announced she was planning her official wedding.
In December 2023, Cardi shared via Instagram that she had been “single for a minute,” confirming that she and Offset were no longer together.
However as of March 2024, the current status of their marriage became unclear as they were still working together, with Offset having directed a music video for Cardi B.
In July 2024, Cardi officially filed for divorce from Offset. She announced her third pregnancy the day after. She gave birth to her third child, on September 7, 2024.
Legal issues
On October 1, 2018, Cardi B was accused of an alleged assault of two female bartenders. The victims claimed that Cardi B and her entourage “threw bottles and alcohol at them.” She denied involvement.
She was charged with two misdemeanors: assault and reckless endangerment.
Cardi B appeared in court for her arraignment on December 7, 2018,
after she did not show up for the originally scheduled date due to a scheduling conflict, according to her attorney.
On June 21, 2019, a jury indicted Cardi B on 14 charges, including two counts of felony assault with intent to cause serious physical injury, stemming from the incident.
She was arraigned on June 25, 2019, and pleaded not guilty on all charges.
On September 15, 2022, she pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and second-degree reckless endangerment, resulting in a sentence of 15 days of community service.
On January 24, 2022, Cardi won a million-dollar defamation verdict against YouTuber Latasha Kebe (Tasha K) for waging a “malicious campaign” to hurt her reputation by posting false rumors.
She stated that the lies had led her to contemplate suicide in 2019.
The jury issued a verdict that Cardi B had been defamed and awarded $1.25 million in damages.
Further proceedings brought the total fine against Kebe to $3.82 million.
On March 25, 2022, Cardi, her sister Hennessy, and Hennessy’s girlfriend won a defamation lawsuit filed against them by three men over an incident at a Suffolk County beach.
In July 2023, Cardi B threw her microphone into the crowd at a Las Vegas concert of hers after a fan threw a liquid at her.
Subsequently, one fan attempted to press charges but the Clark County Police Department following an investigation decided not to move forward with a case.
Controversies
Cardi B sparked controversy after throwing one of her high heel shoes at and attempting to physically attack fellow rapper Nicki Minaj at a New York Fashion Week after-party in September 2018;
bodyguards intervened before she could reach Minaj, leaving her with a large bump on her forehead.
Following the altercation, she alleged on Instagram that Minaj had previously “liked” social media comments that spoke negatively of Cardi B’s ability to take care of her newborn daughter.
Minaj denied the allegations on her Queen Radio show and expressed embarrassment at the fight.
She accused Cardi B of building “her career off of sympathy and payola” and of bribing DJs and radio outlets with sex to play her records.
Minaj also criticized Cardi B’s rapping ability, saying, “Do you know what it’s like to sit in your room for hours writing raps? You came into my fucking culture.
I never had to fuck a DJ to play my songs.”
Minaj also called Cardi B a “disgusting pig” for allegedly cyberbullying a guest caller on Minaj’s show and unearthed posts calling dark-skinned black women “cockroaches”,
which she had defended earlier by saying that it is a derogatory term in the Bronx used for anyone being disrespectful.
Cardi B was on the cover of the 2019 spring fashion issue of Harper’s Bazaar, which featured her in a Cinderella-themed photo shoot wearing a red gown and leaving a shoe behind.
Some interpreted this as a reference to the incident.
After the release of “Girls” in May 2018, a collaboration where she had a featured verse, Cardi B responded to accusations of the song trivializing LGBT relationships;
she tweeted, “We never try to cause harm or had bad intentions with the song.”
She went on to add, “I personally myself had experiences with other women.”
