Taking the world by storm, Cardi B is a breakout female rapper from the Bronx. In September 2017, she became the first female rapper to land the Number One spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a solo performance since 1998. In that year, Lauryn Hill first landed the Number One spot in 1998 with her single ‘Doo Wop (That Thing).’ Since then, Cardi B has been on multiple singles that have topped the charts including ‘Finesse’ with Bruno Mars, ‘No Limit’ with G-Eazy and A$AP Rocky, and ‘La Modelo’ with Ozuna.

Since childhood, Cardi B expressed a passion for music. She is heavily influenced by Missy Elliot and Puerto Rican culture, as well as dancehall music.

Born ‘Belcalis Almanzar,’ Cardi B grew up in the Highbridge section of the Bronx. She was surrounded by violence, recounting stories of gang wars and people dying before her eyes. She would also spend a lot of time at her grandmother’s in Washington Heights, a neighborhood that she says, shaped who she is as a person.

“I think where we come from plays a big role in who we are and you can see a lot of that in her music,” said Emmayrabbi (Emma) Mohammad ’18.

Cardi B initially rose to fame due to her Instagram account. She used to work as a dancer and would promote herself through videos posted to her Instagram account. Her comical personality and her New York attitude have also contributed to her popularity.

After gaining recognition on Instagram, she eventually took to television and appeared on VH1’s ‘Love and Hip Hop’ for two years until her music career took off.

Cardi B released her album in early April 2018, called ‘Invasion of Privacy,’ which included thirteen songs with features from artists like Migos, SZA and Chance the Rapper. Her album was described as assured and outspoken, garnering a variety of descriptions from empowering, to “the new American dream” by critics. The album went gold within less than a week of its release.

She also revealed her pregnancy during a performance on SNL, performing her new song, ‘Be Careful.’ Her fiancé Offset celebrated the pregancy with an Instagram post, and she is due sometime around the summer.

Cardi B’s success story can teach a lot to people. She has shown the world that it does not matter where you come from and that hard work and dedication truly do pay off.