Cardi B facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cardi B
Cardi B in 2021
Born	Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar (1992-10-11) October 11, 1992 (age 32) New York City, U.S.
Other names	Belcalis Almánzar-Cephus
Education	Borough of Manhattan Community College
Occupation	Rapper
Years active	2015–present
Spouse(s)	Offset ​ ​ (m. 2017; div. 2024)​
Partner(s)	Stefon Diggs (2025- present)
Children	2
Relatives	Hennessy Carolina (sister) GloRilla (cousin)
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Origin	New York City, U.S.
Genres	East Coast hip-hop trap
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Atlantic
Signature

Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar (born October 11, 1992), known to the world as Cardi B, is a famous American rapper from New York City. She is known for her energetic music and personality. Cardi B is one of the most successful female artists in music history. She first became popular on social media and on the TV show Love & Hip Hop: New York.

Her first album, Invasion of Privacy (2018), was a huge success. It went to number one on the Billboard 200 chart and won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. This made Cardi B the first solo female artist to win this award. The album had two number-one hit songs, "Bodak Yellow" and "I Like It".

Cardi B holds many records in the music world. She is the female rapper with the most number-one songs (five) on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She is also the only female rapper to have number-one songs in two different decades (the 2010s and 2020s). Her songs have sold over 100 million copies in the United States.

Besides music, Cardi B has appeared in movies. She was also a judge on the music competition show Rhythm + Flow (2019). In 2020, Billboard magazine named her Woman of the Year.

Early life

Cardi B grew up in the South Bronx neighborhood of New York City.

Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar was born on October 11, 1992, in Manhattan, New York City. Her father is from the Dominican Republic and her mother is from Trinidad and Tobago. Because of her background, Cardi B identifies as an Afro-Latina.

She grew up in the South Bronx and also spent a lot of time in Washington Heights with her grandmother. She says this is where she got her "thick accent." Her stage name, Cardi B, came from a nickname she had that was based on the rum brand Bacardi. She has a younger sister named Hennessy Carolina.

Cardi B attended Renaissance High School for Musical Theater & Technology. As a teenager, she worked at a grocery store. After leaving that job, she took on other work to escape poverty and pay for her education. She attended the Borough of Manhattan Community College but eventually left to focus on her career. In 2013, she started to become famous after her videos on Vine and Instagram went viral.

Career

2015–2016: Career beginnings

Cardi B during an interview in January 2016

In 2015, Cardi B joined the cast of the reality TV show Love & Hip Hop: New York. She quickly became the show's star because of her funny and honest personality. After two seasons, she left the show in 2016 to focus on her music career.

She released her first mixtape, Gangsta ... Music, Vol. 1, in 2016. She also began to get noticed by magazines and appeared on other TV shows. Her goal was to make music that was fun and relatable.

2017–2018: Breakthrough with Invasion of Privacy

Cardi B at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards

In 2017, Cardi B signed a major record deal with Atlantic Records. Her big break came with the release of her single, "Bodak Yellow". The song became a massive hit and went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This made her the first female rapper to top the chart with a solo song since 1998.

"Bodak Yellow" was named one of the best songs of 2017 by many critics. Following this success, she released more hit songs, including collaborations like "MotorSport" and "Finesse" with Bruno Mars.

On April 6, 2018, she released her first studio album, Invasion of Privacy. Critics loved the album, calling it one of the best debut albums of the time. It went to number one in the United States. The album included the hit song "I Like It", which also reached number one on the Hot 100. This made her the first female rapper to have multiple number-one songs.

Later that year, her collaboration with Maroon 5, "Girls Like You", also hit number one. This song was extremely popular and its music video has been viewed billions of times on YouTube.

2019–2021: More Hits and Acting

Cardi B performing at a festival in July 2019

In 2019, Cardi B won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for Invasion of Privacy, becoming the first solo female rapper to do so. She also won six Billboard Music Awards.

She made her movie debut in the 2019 film Hustlers alongside Jennifer Lopez. She was also a judge on the Netflix music competition show Rhythm + Flow.

In August 2020, she released the song "WAP" with Megan Thee Stallion. The song was a huge success, debuting at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It broke the record for the most streams in its first week for a song. In 2021, she released another number-one single, "Up". This made her the only female rapper to have two solo number-one hits. She also appeared in the action movie F9.

2022–2024: Collaborations and Other Projects

Cardi B continued to release music, often collaborating with other artists. She worked with GloRilla on the hit song "Tomorrow 2" and with Latto on the remix of "Put It on da Floor".

In 2023, she and her then-husband Offset partnered with McDonald's for a special celebrity meal. She also reprised her voice role as Sharki B in the movie Baby Shark's Big Movie!.

In 2024, she released new solo music, including the songs "Like What (Freestyle)" and "Enough (Miami)". She also collaborated with the singer Shakira on the song "Puntería".

2025: Am I the Drama?

Cardi B's second studio album, Am I the Drama?, is set to be released on September 19, 2025. The album comes more than seven years after her first album. On June 20, 2025, she released the single "Outside" from the album. The song debuted in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100.

She is also scheduled to host WWE's 2025 SummerSlam event in August 2025.

Artistry

Cardi B has said that her musical influences include rappers like Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim, as well as pop stars like Lady Gaga and Madonna. Her music is a mix of hip hop, trap, and Latin music.

Critics have described her rapping style, or flow, as fast and energetic. Her lyrics are often about her life, relationships, and empowerment. She is known for her strong New York accent, which comes from her Dominican heritage and growing up in the Bronx.

Other Ventures

Cardi B has worked with many famous brands. She has released clothing and sneaker collections with Reebok and Fashion Nova. In 2018, the makeup brand Tom Ford released a lipstick named after her, which sold out in one day.

She has also appeared in commercials for Pepsi and McDonald's. In 2021, she launched a brand of flavored whipped cream called Whipshots.

Impact

Cardi B is often called the "Queen of Hip Hop" by magazines and news outlets. Her success has helped open doors for a new generation of female rappers. Publications have noted that her rise to fame showed that artists could become stars through social media and by being their authentic selves.

Her song "I Like It" helped bring Latin trap music to a wider audience. Many artists, including Rosalía and Olivia Rodrigo, have cited Cardi B as an inspiration. She is also known for supporting other female artists in the music industry.

Personal life

Cardi B is a practicing Catholic. She is very proud of her background and often speaks about being Afro-Latina.

In 2017, she began dating rapper Offset, and they secretly married that same year. They have two children together: a daughter, Kulture Kiari (born in 2018), and a son, Wave Set (born in 2021). The couple divorced in 2024.

In 2025, Cardi B confirmed she was in a relationship with NFL player Stefon Diggs.

Discography

• Invasion of Privacy (2018)
• Am I the Drama? (2025)

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Cardi B para niños

• Black Hispanic and Latino Americans
• List of artists who reached number one in the United States
• Dominican Americans
• Hispanics and Latinos in New York
• List of most-followed Instagram accounts