The Evolution of Cardi B

“Bodak Yellow” breakout artist Cardi B finessed her way from a homeless stripper to a Grammy nominated superstar — this is her path to stardom.

Belcalis Almanzar grew up in the Bronx, and got her nickname because everyone used to call her Bacardi (since her sister was named Hennessey). She wanted to become a history teacher, but dropped out of community college after two semesters.

After being kicked out of her house, she was forced to move in with her abusive boyfriend at age 18. However, dancing in the club earned her the financial independence to eventually move out on her own.

At 22, she stopped stripping and made club hosting gigs her main source of income. Her sassy persona on Instagram caught the attention of VH1 execs who pulled her in for season six of “Love and Hip-Hop New York.” Though she only stuck around for two seasons, she was a breakout star and easily the most successful talent to come from the franchise.

She later released “Gangsta Bitch Volumes 1 and 2” and also made her breakout hit “Bodak Yellow.” It rose to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and eventually became the longest-running Hot 100 chart-topper by an unaccompanied woman rapper.

Her album “Invasion of Privacy” debuted at number one the Billboard Hot 200 and helped her break even more records as a woman hip-hop artist. Since then, she’s been featured on plenty of other artists’ hits, gotten married to Migos’ Offset, and welcomed her daughter Kulture Kiari Cephus into the world.  

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