Cardi B

About Cardi B

Bodak Yellow was still climbing the charts when Cardi B realized she had made history.

Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar was born on October 11, 1992, in New York City. Raised in the Bronx and Washington Heights, she grew up in the heart of hip-hop culture. Her energy and outspoken nature would later become her signature.

She launched her music career in 2016, releasing two mixtapes that caught industry attention. By 2017, Bodak Yellow arrived and changed everything. The song made Cardi B the first female rapper to top the Billboard Hot 100 with a solo song in the 21st century. It was certified diamond, making her also the first female rapper to achieve that milestone.

Her debut album, Invasion of Privacy, dropped in 2018 and debuted atop the Billboard 200. It set the largest female rap album streaming week of all time. Rolling Stone ranked it the best debut album ever by a female rapper. The album became the best-selling and highest-certified female rap album of the 21st century.

Two singles from the album dominated charts. I Like It topped the Billboard Hot 100 and earned diamond certification. With this second number-one song, Cardi B became the first female rapper to have multiple chart-toppers. Later that year, her collaboration Girls Like You also reached number one, giving her three US chart-toppers and making her the first female rapper with multiple RIAA diamond-certified songs.

In 2019, A Good Time featured collaborations with Chris Brown, Popcaan and Summer Walker. The song expanded her reach beyond rap into pop territory.

Her second album, Am I the Drama?, debuted in 2025 atop the Billboard 200. This made Cardi B the only female rapper in history to have her first two albums debut at number one. The album became the female rap album with the highest debut week streaming.

Since 2016, Cardi B has elevated the relevance of female rappers in popular music. She made history as the first solo female artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Her journey from New York streets to global stardom remains unmatched in female hip-hop.