Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, aka Cardi B, is a world-renowned American rapper and songwriter. Born in New York City, Cardi had a troubled upbringing, being involved in local gangs as a teenager while attending Renaissance High School for Musical Theater & Technology. Her troubles continued after having to dance at strip clubs to earn money to fund her education at community college, though that was short-lived.

Cardi began gaining popularity alongside many on social media apps like Vine and Instagram in the early 2010s. Eventually, this popularity would lead her to join the sixth season of Love & Hip Hop: New York in 2015. She would make her musical debut that November, on the remix of Jamaican reggae fusion singer Shaggy’s single Boom Boom. Cardi’s popularity would continue to rise, and by the end of 2016, she would leave Love & Hip-Hop to focus on her music career.

Following the release of her second mixtape in January 2017, Cardi would participate in a number of events that would push her name into the mainstream, from partnering with MAC Cosmetics and Rio Uribe’s Gypsy Sport at an event at that year’s New York Fashion Week, to opening for East Coast hip hop group The Lox’s Filthy America… It’s Beautiful Tour. That year also marked her first major record label signing with Atlantic Records.

Cardi would release her debut single, Bodak Yellow, with Atlantic Records after being nominated for Best New Artist and Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the 2017 BET Awards. Bodak Yellow’s success would also lead to Cardi performing on The Wendy Williams Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

She would only continue to climb, becoming the first Dominican artist to reach number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 and collaborating with other notable artists like Bruno Mars, Kay Flock, and more. Her songs, while gaining controversy, would keep her in the eyes of the public, and the embrace of her Dominican descent, incorporating it within her music and music videos, would put her at the forefront of fighting for the rights of Latinos both within and outside of the United States. With over 22.9 million albums sold globally, Cardi B is one of the most notable female rappers of the modern age.