Cardi B

Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar[1] (born October 11, 1988), known by her stage name Cardi B, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter and actress. She is known for her breakout single, "Bodak Yellow", which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in 2017. She became only the second female rapper to reach number one without a featured artist since Lauryn Hill with "Doo Wop (That Thing)" in 1998. Almanzar also has appeared on the VH1 reality series Love & Hip Hop: New York. Cardi has earned five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100: "Bodak Yellow", "I Like It", "Girls like You" (with Maroon 5), "WAP" (with Megan Thee Stallion), and "Up".[2]

Cardi B
Cardi B - Openair Frauenfeld 2019 04.jpg
Cardi B in 2019
Born
Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar

(1988-10-11) October 11, 1988 (age 35)
Occupation
  • Singer
  • rapper
  • songwriter
  • actress
Years active2014–present
Spouse(s)Offset (m. 2017)
Children2
Musical career
GenresHip hop
LabelsAtlantic
Associated actsOffset
Websiteiamcardib.com

On January 2, 2018, Billboard announced that Cardi became only the third artist in history to have their first three singles in the top ten at the same time, with the songs "Bodak Yellow", "MotorSport", and "No Limit". The first two artists to do so were the Beatles and Ashanti.[3]

For the week ending July 14, 2018, Cardi's single "I Like It" reached the number-one position of the Billboard Hot 100, making her the only female rapper with two chart-toppers on the Hot 100.[4] A remix of "Girls like You" by the band Maroon 5, featuring Cardi, also reached number one on the Hot 100.[5]

Her first album, Invasion of Privacy, was released on April 6, 2018. Cardi B says that her music is a representation of what she would like to listen to. The album won Cardi her first Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.[6]

She released the single "Press" on May 31, 2019.[7] On August 7, 2020, she released "WAP" featuring rapper Megan Thee Stallion.[8] It entered at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Cardi's fourth chart-topper in the US.[9] On March 22, 2021, after entering at number two, her song "Up" became Cardi's fifth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, extending her record for most chart-toppers by a female rapper.[10]

She is known for her outspoken, outlandish personality. She started going viral on Instagram and social media in 2014 when she was stripping.

Early life and career

Almanzar was born on October 11, 1992, in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Her mother was a cashier, and her father was a taxi driver in New York City.[11] She has a sister named Hennessy.[12] In a video with GQ, she says that the name Hennessy comes from when her mother gave birth and her father walked into the hospital room and told them that he had just been drinking Hennessy and he really likes the name. They all agreed that that was good name, hence the name Hennessy. Her family contains Dominican and Trinidadian ancestry. Almanzar worked as an exotic dancer since the age of 19. She has released two mixtapes, Gangsta *** Music Vol. 1 and Gangsta *** Music Vol. 2.[13] Following the release of these records, Almanzar signed with Atlantic Records. She was a stripper and confessed that she would drug and rob men for survival.[14] She’s of Dominican descent.

Personal life

Cardi B's stage name comes from the rum Bacardi. In October 2017, it was announced that Kevin Brophy, featured on the cover of Gangsta *** Music Vol. 1, intended to sue Almanzar and her management team for $5 million, claiming that the rapper used his likeness without his permission.[15]

On October 27, 2017, she became engaged at a concert in Philadelphia to rapper Offset, a member of the hip hop group Migos.[11] Almanzar later revealed that she and Offset had secretly married in Atlanta on September 20, 2017. Their daughter, Kulture Kiari Cephus, was born July 10, 2018.[16]

On September 15, 2020, it was announced that Almanzar had filed for divorce from Offset.[17]

At the 2021 BET Awards, Cardi revealed that she is expecting her second child with Offset.[18]


Notes

References

  1. "Cardi B." IMDb. Retrieved 2017-11-09.
  2. "Cardi B". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  3. (in en) Cardi B Makes Hot 100 History as 'MotorSport' Breaks Top 10. http://people.com/chica/cardi-b-makes-billboard-history-motorsport/. Retrieved 2018-01-02. 
  4. "13 Things to Know About the Charts This Week: A Lot to 'Like,' as Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin Hit No. 1 on Hot 100". Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8464260/13-things-charts-this-week-cardi-b-i-like-it-hot-100. Retrieved 2018-07-12. 
  5. "Maroon 5 & Cardi B's 'Girls Like You' Hits No. 1 on Hot 100, Eminem & 5 Seconds of Summer New to Top 10". Billboard. 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  6. "Cardi B Wins Best Rap Album | 2019 GRAMMY Awards Acceptance Speech". YouTube. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  7. "Press - Single by Cardi B". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-09-18. {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |website= at position 6 (help)
  8. "WAP (feat. Megan Thee Stallion) - Single by Cardi B". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-09-18. {{cite web}}: no-break space character in |website= at position 6 (help)
  9. Curto, Justin (2020-08-17). "'WAP' Debuts at No. 1 With Most First-Week Streams Ever". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  10. "Cardi B's 'Up' Soars to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 After Grammy Awards Performance". Billboard. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  11. 11.0 11.1 (in en-US) Hip-hop’s favorite couple: Why Cardi B and Offset are perfect for each other. 2017-11-06. http://thedmonline.com/hip-hop-cardi-b-offset-perfect-couple/. Retrieved 2017-11-09. 
  12. Evans, Lauren (in en-US). Cardi B Shares How She Got Her Name. https://jezebel.com/cardi-b-shares-how-she-got-her-name-1820200487. Retrieved 2017-11-09. 
  13. Cardi B Reportedly Signs Mega Deal With Atlantic Records. 2017-03-01. https://www.vibe.com/2017/03/cardi-b-atlantic-records/. Retrieved 2017-11-09. 
  14. D'Zurilla, Christie (2019-03-27). "Cardi B defends old video about drugging and robbing men 'to survive'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-07-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. Cardi B Sued by Model On Her Album Cover. http://www.tmz.com/2017/10/26/cardi-b-lawsuit-album-cover-model-tattoo/?adid=zergnet-main-lp. Retrieved 2017-11-09. 
  16. "Baby Bardi Is Here! Cardi B and Offset Welcome Daughter Kulture Kiari" (in en). PEOPLE.com. https://people.com/babies/cardi-b-offset-welcome-daughter-kulture-kiari/. Retrieved 2018-07-12. 
  17. "Cardi B Files for Divorce from Offset After 3 Years of Marriage Following Rumors of His Infidelity". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  18. "Cardi B Is Pregnant! Rapper Reveals She's Expecting Second Child During BET Awards Performance". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2021-07-01.