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Since the release of her debut single ‘Bodak Yellow’ in 2017, Cardi B has been an unstoppable force in hip-hop. Born in New York and raised in the Highbridge neighbourhood of the Bronx, Cardi B is currently the most prominent rap artist. Since 2018, Nicki Minaj has slowly but surely faded into the background and has effectively retired from her career as a mainstream recording artist, albeit unofficially.

Minaj spent the majority of her career as the only female hip-hop artist who could consecutively release hit records without fail. Although other female rap acts arose during her tenure, such as Azealia Banks, Iggy Azalea and Dej Loaf, not one of these artists could compete on the same level as Minaj. Many of them, to this day, are non-factors within the culture.

However, with Cardi B, things were different. The star’s rise to stardom was unique and ultimately highlighted a previously unused route into the music industry. Much of it had to do with timing, much of it had to do with technology, and a vast amount of it concerned her initial focus and eventual switch of disciplines.

Using the examples of Nicki Minaj, Azealia Banks, Iggy Azalea, and even those that came before them, such as Lil Kim and Remy Ma, a female’s initial way into hip-hop was to be approved by a man in some way, shape or form. For Nicki Minaj, it was Lil Wayne who signed her to Young Money.

For Azealia Banks, Diplo collaborated alongside her and drew attention to her music, resulting in a record deal with XL. For Iggy Azalea, T.I. signed her to Grand Hustle. Artists such as Minaj and Banks used MySpace to promote their music. However, irrespective of their social media use, their ascent necessitated a male’s support. The same can be said for Remy Ma, who was brought to the forefront by Big Pun and Fat Joe as part of the Terror Squad.

This aforementioned system had been in place since hip-hop’s inception and only began to change in 2012 when Facebook bought and redesigned Instagram. Before 2012, Facebook and SoundCloud were the two websites artists used to connect with fans and market their music.

Before 2010, MySpace was the de facto site for doing this. However, despite Facebook’s vast capabilities as a social media site, it lacked the story feature, which allowed its users to see what their idols were doing in real-time.

With the sharp rise of Instagram’s popularity, musicians and their fans felt ever more connected and could really experience an individual’s day and, more importantly, assess their character as Instagram is often impulsive, with people taking to their stories quickly and efficiently to share what’s on their mind.

Cardi B explained how she dropped out of high school and became a stripper to earn quick cash. However, her funny demeanour, positive energy, and humorous aura turned her into somewhat of a personality. Thousands of Instagram users began to follow her to see comedic stories, amusing posts, and a much-needed dose of laughter.

Cardi B accrued over one million followers within two years of joining the site. 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. With a loyal fan base that loved her and over 21 million followers in 2015, looking to escape the life of stripping instead of settling for being an influencer, she chose to begin rapping.

How many records has Cardi B sold?

Between 2015 and 2016, the Bronx artist released several mixtapes in collaboration with KSR Music Group. All of them did exceptionally well due to her legion of fans on social media and TV. From just her first three projects alone, Cardi has accrued 4.4 million equivalent album sales.

Her single ‘I Like It’, featuring Bad Bunny and J Calvin, accrued 1.8 million equivalent album sales, with her lead single ‘Bodak Yellow’ scaling similar heights with 1.13 million. Invasion of Privacy is a four-time platinum, Grammy-winning album that topped the Billboard 200 for three weeks.

Cardi B has made a number of features on highly successful tracks such as Maroon 5’s ‘Girls Like You’ and DJ Snake’s ‘Taki Taki’. If all Cardi’s features are considered, thus far in her career, the Bronx native has managed to sell 16,925,000 records. She has set many records with her 2018 single ‘I Like It’, which became the first song by a female rapper to surpass a billion streams on Spotify. She was also the first female emcee to get three diamond-certified singles.

Cardi B fans are currently awaiting her forthcoming sophomore album, which has been delayed several times and was meant to arrive in 2024. It has been seven years since her debut breakthrough, and many are hoping she doesn’t fall at the second hurdle. The release date and album title are still unknown.