25 Things You Didn’t Know About Cardi B

She’s dominated social media and the BillBoard Hot 100. Cardi B’s next stop? The world. She’s loud, she’s proud, and she puts it all out there. But if you’re not all caught up on her life, here are 25 things you didn’t know about Cardi B—don’t sleep on her.

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Last September, Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was the moment fans—and Cardi herself—had spent years waiting for, after supporting her mixtapes, singles, and hilarious online antics. For newcomers, the moment was an introduction to the Bronx rapper and her story, one of true hustle and a serious grind.

As the weeks went on, “Bodak Yellow” continued to break records, not the least of which was dethroning Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do.” It became the longest running No. 1 of all time by a solo woman rapper, and was certified platinum by the RIAA. Cardi is also the first Dominican artist to have a number one song on the Billboard Hot 100.

Born in the Bronx, Cardi attributes her thick accent to the time she spent at her grandmother’s house in Washington Heights. After attending the Renaissance High School For Musical Theater & Technology and enrolling in college, Cardi found it challenging to support herself while getting her education, so she dropped out. At age 19, she started stripping—a chapter of her life that she is very honest about and unashamed of—and briefly went back to school, before dropping out again.

From 2015-2017, Cardi was on Love & Hip-Hop: New York. During this time, she was building a following on Instagram and Vine for her humorous videos, where she’d give her take on topics from plastic surgery to stripping, relationships, and working hard. Viral videos from both Love & Hip-Hop and social media were early signs of her undeniable star power.

After releasing three mixtapes, the success of “Bodak Yellow” made Cardi more famous and popular than ever. A feature on Bruno Mars’ “Finesse” remix has brought her more radio play and a performance at the Grammys. Her collaborations and relationship with Migos’ Offset have gotten her a lot of exposure and attention, as well. The two got engaged in October of 2017.

Though she seems to put it all out there on social media and in her music, there’s a lot more to know and love about the rising star. Here are 25 things you didn’t know about Cardi B.

1. She was born and raised in the South Bronx by her Trinidadian mother and Dominican father.

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2. In high school, Cardi would rewrite the lyrics of Beyoncé songs to, as she says, “make them waaay sluttier.”

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3. The first albums she bought were by Missy Elliott and Tweet.

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4. After getting fired from a supermarket, her manager suggested that she become a stripper—and she did.

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5. She credits stripping with saving her life.

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The new profession allowed her the financial independence to leave an abusive relationship.

6. She has been open about getting plastic surgeries at 19 years old, in part to make more money as a stripper.

Cardi B poses backstage at the Christian Siriano show.

7. She got her artist name from people in her life calling her Bacardi.

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Her sister is named Hennessy, so the nickname came naturally.

9. When Cardi was stripping, she told her mom that she was babysitting.

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10. In 2015, Cardi joined the show 'Love & Hip-Hop: New York,' where she famously threw a shoe at a castmate.

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11. One of her managers encouraged her to rap based on her “natural ear for music” and unique voice.

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12. The first song she ever released was a remix of Shaggy’s “Boom Boom,” featuring Popcaan.

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13. Her first music video was for “Cheap Ass Weave,” and she rapped over Lady Leshurr’s “Queen’s Speech 4.”

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14. Cardi turned her line, “If a girl have beef with me, she gon' have beef foreva,” into the song "Foreva.”

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The line came from her time on Love & Hip Hop: New York

15. She was once on an episode of Khloe Kardashian’s 'Kocktails with Khloe' TV show.

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The episode aired on April 6, 2016.

16. She has released three mixtapes—"Gangsta Bitch Music" (Vol. 1 & 2) and "Underestimated: The Album."

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17. The song name “Bodak Yellow” is a reference to the flow on Kodak Black’s “No Flockin."

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The "yellow" part, according to Cardi, is because she's "a yellow bitch."

18. Her dentist says business “has literally tripled” since Cardi rapped the lyric, “Got a bag and fixed my teeth."

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19. Cardi is the first female rapper to have a solo number one song since Lauryn Hill in 1998.

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20. On a recent episode of 'The Breakfast Club,' Cardi revealed that she loves McDonald’s.

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22. Her favorite artists are Madonna and Lady Gaga.

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23. Though Cardi flaunted a new Bentley truck on Instagram, she has admitted that she doesn’t have a license.

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24. Cardi invested money she made from stripping directly into her rapping career.

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