Cardi B

Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus (, ; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper and songwriter. She first gained popularity as an influencer on Vine and Instagram. 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).

Cardi B's first studio album, ''Invasion of Privacy'' (2018), debuted at number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 With the album receiving critical acclaim, it made her the first and only woman to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album as a solo artist, and marked the second female rap album nominated for Album of the Year. It spawned two number-one singles on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 the lead single, "Bodak Yellow" made her become the second female rapper to top the Hot 100 with a solo song and the first to achieve a diamond-certified song by the RIAA. The fourth single, " I Like It", marked the first time a female rapper attained multiple number-one songs on the Hot 100. Her third Hot 100 number-one was her feature on " Girls Like You" with band Maroon 5. It made her the only female rapper to achieve multiple diamond-certified songs by the RIAA.

She has since released two singles from her upcoming second studio album — "WAP" (2020) and " Up" (2021), both of which topped the Hot 100 and other charts worldwide. She holds various records among female rappers as she has the most number-one singles (five) on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was the first and only female rapper to have multiple solo number ones. Additionally, she has the most songs with a billion streams on Spotify for a female rapper.

Her accolades include a Grammy Award, eight ''Billboard'' Music Awards, six Guinness World Records, six American Music Awards, 14 BET Hip Hop Awards, and two ASCAP Songwriter of the Year awards. In 2018, ''Time'' magazine included her on its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2020, ''Billboard'' honored her as Woman of the Year. Outside of music, she became the creative director of entertainment magazine ''Playboy'' in 2022.

Early life

Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar was born in Washington Heights, Manhattan, on October 11, 1992. She has a Dominican father and a Trinidadian mother of African and Spanish descent. Almánzar was raised in the Highbridge neighborhood of the South Bronx, and spent much time at her paternal grandmother's home in Washington Heights, which she credits with giving her "such a thick accent." Almánzar developed the stage name "Cardi B" as a derivation of Bacardi, a rum brand that was formerly her nickname. She has a younger sister, Hennessy Carolina, who was born in 1995. She has said she was a gang member with the Bloods in her youth, since age 16, but stated she would not encourage joining a gang. She attended Renaissance High School for Musical Theater & Technology, a vocational high school on the Herbert H. Lehman High School campus.

During her teens, Cardi B was employed at an Amish deli in Tribeca. She was fired and became a dancer at a strip club across the street. Cardi B has said that becoming a stripper was positive for her life in many ways: "It really saved me from a lot of things. When I started stripping I went back to school." She stated that she became a stripper to escape poverty and domestic violence, having been in an abusive relationship at the time after being kicked out of her mother's house, and that stripping was her only way to earn enough money to escape the situation and get an education. She attended Borough of Manhattan Community College before eventually dropping out. While stripping, Cardi B lied to her mother by telling her she was making money by babysitting.

In 2013, she began to gain publicity due to several of her videos spreading on social media, on Vine and her Instagram page.

Career

2015–2016: Career beginnings

In 2015, Cardi B joined the cast of the VH1 reality television series '' Love & Hip Hop: New York'', debuting in season six. ''Jezebel'' considered her the breakout star of the show's sixth season. ''The New York Times'' wrote that she garnered popularity with "her ability to rattle off one-liners". The sixth and seventh seasons chronicle her rise to stardom and her turbulent relationship with her incarcerated fiancé. On December 30, 2016, after two seasons, she announced that she would be leaving the show to further pursue a career in music.

In November 2015, Cardi B made her musical debut on Jamaican reggae fusion singer Shaggy's remix to his single "Boom Boom", alongside fellow Jamaican dancehall singer Popcaan. She made her music video debut on December 15, 2015, with the song "Cheap Ass Weave", her rendition of British rapper Lady Leshurr's "Queen's Speech 4". On March 7, 2016, Cardi B released her first full-length project, a mixtape titled ''Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1''. In November 2016, she was featured on the digital cover of ''Vibe'' magazines "Viva" issue.

On September 12, 2016, KSR Group released the compilation ''Underestimated: The Album'', which is a collaboration between KSR Group artists Cardi B, HoodCelebrityy, SwiftOnDemand, Cashflow Harlem, and Josh X. It was previously released only to attendees of their U.S. tour. KSR Group's flagship artist Cardi B said "I wanted to make a song that would make girls dance, twerk and at the same time encourage them to go get that Shmoney," in regard to the compilation's single "What a Girl Likes".

She appeared on the December 9, 2015, episode of ''Uncommon Sense with Charlamagne''. On April 6, 2016, she was on the twelfth episode of Khloé Kardashian's ''Kocktails with Khloé'': in this episode, she revealed how she told her mother that she was a stripper. In November 2016, it was announced that she would be joining the cast of the BET series ''Being Mary Jane''. TVLine describes her character, Mercedes, as a "round-the-way beauty with a big weave, big boobs and a big booty to match her oversize, ratchet personality."

In 2016, Cardi B was featured in her first endorsement deal with Romantic Depot, a large New York chain of lingerie stores that sell sexual health and wellness products. The ad campaign was featured on radio and cable TV.

2017–2018: Breakthrough with ''Invasion of Privacy''

On January 20, 2017, Cardi B released her second mixtape, '' Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 2''. In February 2017, Cardi B partnered with MAC Cosmetics and Rio Uribe's Gypsy Sport for an event for New York Fashion Week. In late February, Cardi B signed her first major record label recording contract with Atlantic Records. On February 25, 2017, Cardi B was the opening act for East Coast hip hop group The Lox's Filthy America... It's Beautiful Tour, alongside fellow New York City-based rappers Lil' Kim and Remy Ma. In April 2017, she was featured in '' i-D'' "A-Z of Music" video sponsored by Marc Jacobs. Cardi guest-starred on the celebrity panel show ''Hip Hop Squares'', appearing on the March 13 and April 3, 2017, episodes. She also released the freestyle "Red Barz".

In May 2017, the nominees for the 2017 BET Awards were announced, revealing that Cardi B had been nominated for Best New Artist and Best Female Hip-Hop Artist. Although Chance the Rapper and Remy Ma won those categories, respectively, Cardi B performed at the BET Awards Afterparty show. On June 11, 2017, during Hot 97's annual Summer Jam music festival, Remy Ma brought out Cardi B, along with The Lady of Rage, MC Lyte, Young M.A, Monie Love, Lil' Kim, and Queen Latifah, to celebrate female rappers and perform Latifah's 1993 hit single "U.N.I.T.Y." about female empowerment. In June 2017, it was revealed that Cardi B would be on the cover of ''The Fader''s Summer Music issue for July/August 2017. She performed at MoMA PS1 on August 19 to a crowd of 4,000.

On June 16, 2017, Atlantic Records released Cardi B's commercial debut single, "Bodak Yellow", via digital distribution. She performed the single on ''The Wendy Williams Show'' and ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' The song climbed the charts for several months, and, on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart dated September 25, 2017, "Bodak Yellow" reached the number one spot, making Cardi B the first female rapper to do so with a solo single since Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)" debuted atop the chart in 1998. The song stayed atop the charts for three consecutive weeks, tying with American pop singer Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" as the longest running female at the number one spot in 2017.

Cardi B became the first person of Dominican descent to reach number one in the history of the Hot 100 since it was launched in 1958. An editor of ''The New York Times'' called it "the rap anthem of the summer". Selected by ''The Washington Post'' and ''Pitchfork'' music critics as the best song of 2017, "Bodak Yellow" was eventually certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song received nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 60th Grammy Awards. It won Single of the Year at the 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards.

With her collaborations "No Limit" and "MotorSport", she became the first female rapper to land her first three entries in the top 10 of the Hot 100, and the first female artist to achieve the same on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In October 2017, Cardi B headlined Power 105.1's annual Powerhouse music celebration, alongside the Weeknd, Migos, and Lil Uzi Vert, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. In December, she released two songs: a collaboration with Puerto Rican singer Ozuna titled " La Modelo", and "Bartier Cardi", the second single from her debut album.

On January 3, 2018, Cardi B was featured on Bruno Mars' remix version of "Finesse", and appeared in the 90s inspired video. It reached the top three on the Hot 100, Canada and New Zealand. On January 18, 2018, Cardi B became the first woman to have five top 10 singles simultaneously on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. She released another single, "Be Careful", on March 30, 2018, a week before her album's release.

Her debut studio album, ''Invasion of Privacy'', was released on April 6, 2018, to universal acclaim from music critics. Editors from ''Variety'' and ''The New York Times'' called it "one of the most powerful debuts of this millennium" and "a hip-hop album that doesn't sound like any of its temporal peers," respectively. The album entered at number one in the United States, while she became the first female artist to chart 13 entries simultaneously on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, on the chart issue dated April 21. It became the most streamed album by a female artist in a single week in Apple Music, and the largest on-demand audio streaming week ever for an album by a woman. Cardi held the latter record until 2019. The album's title reflects Cardi B's feeling that as she gained popularity her privacy was being invaded in a variety of ways. Following the album's release, during a performance on ''Saturday Night Live'', Cardi B officially announced her pregnancy, after much media speculation. She also co-hosted an episode of ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon''.

Several months later, in July 2018, the album's fourth single, " I Like It", which features vocals from Bad Bunny and J Balvin, reached number one on the Hot 100; this marked her second number one on the chart and made her the first female rapper to achieve multiple chart-toppers. It received critical acclaim, with ''Rolling Stone'' naming it "the best summer song of all time" in 2020. Her collaboration with Maroon 5, " Girls Like You", also reached number one on the Hot 100 chart, extending her record among female rappers and also making her the sixth female artist to achieve three number-one singles on the chart during the 2010s. The song's music video has received more than 3 billion views on YouTube and was the fifth-best selling song of the year globally.

With "Girls Like You" following "I Like It" at the top of the ''Billboard'' Radio Songs chart, Cardi B became the first female rapper to ever replace herself at number one on that chart. The single spent seven weeks atop the Hot 100, making Cardi the female rapper with the most cumulative weeks atop the chart, with eleven weeks. It spent 33 weeks in the top 10, tying both Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" and Post Malone and Swae Lee's "Sunflower" for the longest top 10 run in the chart's archives at the time. In October 2018, ''Invasion of Privacy'' was certified double platinum by the RIAA, and the following year it was updated to triple platinum. With the thirteen tracks, she became the first female artist to have all songs from an album certified gold or higher in the US.

Cardi B received the most nominations for the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards with 12 mentions—including for Video of the Year, winning three awards. She tied with Drake for the most nominations at the 2018 American Music Awards. She won three AMAs and performed at the ceremony. Her single "Money" earned her a fourth Video Music Award, with visuals that feature Cardi playing characters in different locations, including in an art museum, a bank and a strip club. Her collaboration with DJ Snake " Taki Taki" topped the charts in a number of Hispanic countries, made Cardi B the first female rapper to top the Spotify Global 50 chart, and has garnered more than 2 billion views. Both singles were certified multiple-platinum by the RIAA. ''People en Español'' named her Star of the Year, and ''Entertainment Weekly'' deemed her "a pop culture phenomenon", as she was named one of "2018 Entertainers of the Year".

On November 30, 2018, Cardi B was honored at ''Ebony''s annual Power 100 Gala. Cardi ranked fifth on the 2018 ''Billboard'' Year-End Top Artists chart, while ''Invasion of Privacy'' ranked sixth. She achieved the most-streamed album of the year by a female artist globally in Apple Music, and ranked as the most streamed female artist of the year in the United States in Spotify. Editorial staff from Apple Music and ''Billboard'' named "I Like It" the best song of 2018, while ''Time'' magazine and ''Rolling Stone'' named ''Invasion of Privacy'' the best album of the year. Also in 2018, ''Time'' included her on their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In its decade-end review article, ''NME'' stated that the era secured "her crown as the new Queen of Rap."

2019–present: ''Hustlers'', ''Rhythm + Flow'' and upcoming second studio album

Cardi B received five nominations at the 61st Grammy Awards, including for Album of the Year, Best Rap Album and Record of the Year ("I Like It"). She became the third female rapper to be nominated for Album of the Year, following Lauryn Hill (1999) and Missy Elliott (2004). On February 10, 2019, she then performed at the award ceremony, where she wore three vintage Thierry Mugler couture looks during the telecast and became the first female rapper to win Best Rap Album as a solo artist.

Cardi B led the 2019 Billboard Music Awards nominations, with 21, the most nominations in a single year ever by a woman and the third most nominations in a year ever (behind Drake and The Chainsmokers, who both had 22 in a year). She ended up winning six awards, including for Top Hot 100 Song, bringing her career total wins to seven—the most of any female rapper in history. An article by ''Omaha World-Herald'' called her "the biggest rapper in the world."

On February 15, 2019, Cardi B released "Please Me", a collaboration with Bruno Mars, which became her seventh top-ten song on the Hot 100, reaching number three. The song marked Cardi and Bruno's second collaboration, following "Finesse" in 2018. The official music video was released two weeks later. On March 1, Cardi set a new attendance record at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, with 75,580 fans in the audience. With "Backin' It Up", " Twerk" and "Money", Cardi became the first female artist to occupy the top three on the ''Billboard'' Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop airplay chart.

Her following single titled "Press" was released on May 31, 2019. The parental-advisory labeled music video marked her directorial debut—being credited as co-director, and was released on June 26, 2019. It had its debut performance at the 2019 BET Awards, where she received the most nominations with seven, and won Album of the Year. During the summer of 2019, she embarked on an arena tour. In September, she led the BET Hip Hop Awards nominations with ten.

Cardi B made her film debut in '' Hustlers'' directed by Lorene Scafaria, opposite Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, and Lili Reinhart. The film was released on September 13, 2019. Cardi B, along with Chance the Rapper and T.I., were confirmed as judges for the Netflix series '' Rhythm + Flow'', a ten-part hip-hop talent search that premiered on October 9, 2019, which she also executive produced.

In December 2019, Cardi B embarked on her first tour of Africa, performing in Nigeria and Ghana. Her collaboration " Clout" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance. She was the most streamed female rapper of 2019 in the US, according to Spotify. ''Consequence of Sound'' deemed her "one of the most formidable hip-hop artists of the decade." In March 2020, Cardi B created a reaction video about the coronavirus pandemic. DJ iMarkkeyz, a Brooklyn DJ known for turning memes and online moments into full-length songs, created a track, based on her reaction titled "Coronavirus", which became an internet meme and was released to music platforms. Netflix announced the return of ''Rhythm + Flow'' for 2021.

Cardi B released the single "WAP" featuring American rapper Megan Thee Stallion on August 7, 2020, as the lead 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. She became the only female rap artist to top the Global Spotify chart multiple times. "WAP" debuted at number-one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, garnering Cardi B her fourth chart-topper in the US, extending her record as the female rapper with the most number-one singles, and also making her the first female rapper to achieve Hot 100 number one singles in two different decades (2010s and 2020s).

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 four weeks atop the Hot 100. The single has also spent multiple weeks at number one in seven 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.

It became critics' best song of the year according to a compilation of rankings made by the BBC
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