Cardi B is currently one of the most dominant female hip-hop artists. Born Belcalis Almanzar in New York and raised in the Highbridge neighbourhood of the Bronx, Cardi B had an interesting rise to fame.
Almanzar’s rise to stardom was unique and completely shone a light on a previously unused route into the music industry. Much of it was to do with timing, a lot of it was to do with technology, and a vast amount of it concerned her initial focus and eventual switch of disciplines.
Made by social media, following the sharp rise of Instagram’s popularity, musicians and their fans felt ever more connected and could feel like they were part of a small community centred around whatever figure they idolised. Cardi B acquired quite the following on the platform, which is how she was first introduced to the public.
Cardi B’s funny demeanour, positive energy, and humorous aura turned her into somewhat of a personality. Droves of Instagram users began to follow her to see comedic stories, amusing posts and a much-needed dose of laughter.
Within two years of being on the site Cardi B accrued over one million followers and, as a popular social media personality, influencer and stripper in New York City who was constantly around hip-hop figures in and out of the club, she was invited to be a cast member on the reality TV show Love & Hip Hop: New York.
Switching from influencer to musician, her followers supported her in this transition and fans of Love & Hip Hop also began to back Belcalis. Shortly after her stint on TV, the Highbridge resident released her debut single ‘Bodak Yellow’ in 2017’ and has been a star ever since. As a powerhouse in hip-hop, Cardi began brushing shoulders with other musicians in the industry and in early 2017, news broke out that Almanzar was in a relationship with Migos rapper Offset.
The two publicly established a relationship, and in July 2018, the two had their first child Kulture. The couple were very tight-lipped and quiet about her following the birth. However, in 2019 Cardi B began sharing pictures with the public and even revealed Kulture’s favourite song aged only 1.
Taking to Twitter, Cardi wrote, “SONGS KULTURE LIKES , TAKI TAKI, I LIKE IT, RIC FLAIR DRIP, MI GENTE by J Balvin and the whole baby shark mixtape.” even at one-year-old Kulture liked her father’s music in ‘Ric Flair Drip’ and Cardi’s in ‘I Like It’. You can view the emcee’s tweet below.