Biography
A hip-hop artist who initially found fame through Instagram, Cardi B made history in September 2017 when she became the first woman rapper to reach No. 1 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart since Lauryn Hill achieved that peak in 1998. In addition to topping the charts, her single "Bodak Yellow" also displaced Taylor Swift's hit song "Look What You Made Me Do" from the No. 1 slot, prompting flowers and personal accolades from Swift as well as an outpouring of interest from both the public and the music industry as a whole, as all involved quickly realized that a new star had arrived. Born Belcalis Almanzar in the Bronx, New York, on October 11, 1992, Cardi B attended Renaissance High School For Musical Theater & Technology. She also worked at a supermarket for several years before turning to exotic dancing at the age of 19, a career move that she has credited with giving her the mobility and money that enabled her to escape poverty and domestic violence. In 2013, she began posting short videos to Instagram and Vine, several of which went viral, gaining her wider attention. Beginning in 2015, she joined the cast of the reality show "Love & Hip-Hop: New York," where she stayed for two seasons before stepping down to devote more time and attention to her music career. In November 2015, she made her music debut on a remix of Shaggy's single "Boom Boom," and her first video debuted in December of that year. This was followed in March 2016 by a full-length mixtape release, with the second volume following in January 2017, and in February 2017, Cardi B signed with Atlantic Records. Her debut single, "Bodak Yellow," came out in June 2017, and by August had risen to No. 2 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. It also charted at No. 1 on both the Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. The song has been certified 5X Multi-Platinum by RIAA, and in September, the song topped the Hot 100 chart dated October 1. She was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the 2017 BET Awards, and garnered a total of nine nominations for the BET Hip Hop Awards. Her first studio album, "Invasion of Privacy," was released in April 2018, and was certified Gold by RIAA within its first 24 hours of release. After weeks of rumors, Cardi B announced her pregnancy when she appeared on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC 1975- ) that month. A few months later, in June 2018, Cardi B revealed that she and her supposed fiance, Migos rapper Offset, had actually married on September 20, 2017, a month before he publicly proposed to her.
