Cardi B's Journey to Stardom Shows the Struggles of Bronx Latinas

Style Magazine Newswire | 1/31/2018, 8:28 a.m.
Bronx native and proud Dominican-Trinidadian Cardi B, born Belcalis Almanzar, has taken the music industry by storm with her hit …
Cardi B at the Post Show for the 2017 BET Awards on June 25, 2017 in Los Angeles.Maury Phillips / Getty Images for BET file

Source: NBC News

NEW YORK - Bronx native and proud Dominican-Trinidadian Cardi B, born Belcalis Almanzar, has taken the music industry by storm with her hit single “Bodak Yellow" — earning her Grammy nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.

Her single reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard music charts, making Cardi B the first solo rapper of Dominican descent to achieve this level of success. And now, she’s debuting at this year’s Grammy Awards with two nominations.

Cardi B first gained popularity as a social media influencer on Instagram a few years ago. Her unapologetic personality, outspokenness and catchphrases earned her millions of followers. Fans quickly started to recognize Cardi for her Dominican-New York accent and silly expressions like ”washpoppin” and “shhmoney.”

Cardi’s music and ultimate catchphrase “a hoe never gets cold” have permeated modern hip-hop culture and urban speech, representing Latinas from urban New York on a worldwide stage.

“Cardi B's story is that of, not only Dominicans, but Latinas here in NYC,” said Haile Rivera, founder of Hands On New York Inc., a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower Dominican-American professionals. “Cardi B found the courage within herself and pursued her dreams. That's a story that our Latinas, especially our Dominican young girls, need to know.”

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