Over the last years, Cardi B has become one of the most successful and influential artists in the music industry worldwide. Every single she releases becomes an instant hit and in no time, the song is always on the top of the chart for many months.
Cardi B is not only known for her rapper career, but also because of her irreverent and blunt personality. She is never afraid to speak her mind and doesn’t care about what the critics have to say.
Hennessy (L) and Cardi B attend the 2016 VH1 Divas Holiday: Unsilent Night at Kings Theatre on December 2, 2016, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City
Dan Bilzerian’s good friend always tries to focus on herself and on working hard to achieve whatever goal she has on her mind. For this same reason, her interviews are always really interesting to watch and listen to.
She has even created her own unique slang of words and noises that have actual meaning behind them.
When she started to become famous during her Social Media influencer days (even before her established rapper career), her followers couldn’t fail to notice the influence of the Spanish language whenever she talked, and of course, that made them very intrigued regarding her background.
Cardi B raps in Spanish on Me Gusta, a song by Brazilian singer Anitta
Many started wondering, does Cardi B speak Spanish? To the surprise of her fans, she would later reveal that Spanish is actually her first language.
Cardi B explained she grew up speaking Spanish at home thanks to her dad, who is of Dominican descent. So, it was only normal her family spoke Spanish.
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Happy BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE SISTER @hennessycarolina !!!!!!! 🎉🎉 BEST AUNTIE ever !! #24
Not to mention the population in the neighborhood where she lived, Highbridge, which is located in The South Bronx part of New York City, was mainly Latino.
This means she didn’t only speak Spanish with her family, but also with her friends and pretty much everyone in the surrounding area. So, the answer is yes, Cardi B does speak very fluent Spanish to this day.
How does this influence her career?
There is no doubt that the fact that she speaks Spanish is a huge advantage both professionally and personally. Since experts have researched the benefits of speaking more than one language. There are not only cognitive benefits, but it is a fact that it can open many doors.
Cardi B is the daughter of a Dominican father and Trinidadian mother
We have all been witnesses of this last example not just with Cardi B but also with other multilingual artists.
Spanish has almost 500 million speakers around the globe and it is the second most spoken language in the world. This just by itself is a huge potential market for the music industry.
While Spanish speakers still listen to music in English, it is more likely that they will prefer listening to music in Spanish because many of them don’t speak English at all, meaning they won’t understand the lyrics.
Cardi B is frequently interviewed in Spanish and credits her grandmother with giving her “such a thick accent”
On top of that, it is also more likely that they will feel represented and identified with someone who speaks their own language. That’s why Cardi B is so popular among the Latino community.
She is constantly invited to Spanish speaking TV and radio shows, and she can simply be herself and express what she’s really thinking without the need of an interpreter.
From a business point of view, making songs in Spanish or that simply feature Latino artists was the right move for the Bodak Yellow rapper. It reaches a bigger audience, plus she already knows the language to begin, making it quite easy for her.
Cardi B’s real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar
Cardi B’s popularity grew exponentially in a really short amount of time. But she has wasted no time and has done a couple of features and full-length songs in Spanish over the last years.
While her main genre is rap, she started experimenting with Latin sounds in her tracks, and they have been widely accepted by her fans, such as the highly acclaimed song “I like it” featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin.
Cardi B’s most popular Spanish songs
Cardi B – Bodak Yellow (Latina Trap Remix) – Bodak Yellow was definitely the song that launched her career into stardom, so she thought it was appropriate to create a Spanish version of it.
Cardi successfully translated the song on her own while keeping a couple of the original lines intact. The final result was simply great because it wasn’t just a literal translation.
Cardi B was raised in the Highbridge neighborhood of the South Bronx
Everything rhymed perfectly and still maintained the original meaning, which is the main objective of a good translation.
Collaborations with other artists:
Anitta – “Me Gusta” (Feat. Cardi B & Myke Towers)
Ozuna – La Modelo Ft Cardi B
DJ Snake – Taki Taki ft. Cardi B, Selena Gomez & Ozuna
Chris Jeday – Ahora Dice (Remix) ft. Cardi B, J Balvin, Ozuna, Anuel AA, Offset & Arcángel
El Alfa Ft. Cardi B – Mi Mama
All these collaborations have led to multiple Latin Awards Nominations and Wins, like the Billboard Latin Music Awards, Latin American Music Awards, Lo Nuestro awards, Juventud Awards, Soberano Awards.
Not to mention they have placed on top of the Latin charts and have broken established records previously set mainly by male artists.
Cardi B started gaining publicity in 2013 when her videos started going viral on Vine and Instagram
Cardi B has become an essential artist that the Latino and Spanish speaking community love. She is a smart businesswoman and the fact that she speaks fluent Spanish will only help her grow as an artist even more!
She is a clear example of how beneficial it is to know a second language and how it can improve our lives in many aspects, even if we are not a famous celebrity.
In August 2018, Cardi B looked stunning while making her post-baby comeback at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
It was her first public appearance since giving birth to her baby daughter Kulture Kiari Cephus on July 10, 2018.
Cardi B sported a black pixie cut at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on August 20, 2018
The then 25-year-old “Bodak Yellow” rapper was joined by Jennifer Lopez, Blac Chyna, and Amber Rose.
In addition to opening the show, she was nominated for 12 prizes, including Video of the Year for “Finesse” with Bruno Mars.
Rocking a black pixie cut, Cardi B transported us to the ’80s in a custom dark fuchsia asymmetrical gown from Nicolas Jebran, a Lebanese fashion designer famous for haute couture.
Cardi B made her post-baby comeback in a custom dark fuchsia asymmetrical gown from Nicolas Jebran
She accessorized with colorful jewelry by Lorraine Schwartz and finished off her outfit with sky-high sandals by Casadei.
Cardi B shows off her feet in Casadei sandals
While her exact sandals are not available online, you can find great alternatives from the same Italian shoe brand at Casadei and Farfetch. Below are just a couple of our favorites:
Ruffled Red Satin Sandals, €343 at Casadei
Romantic and sensual, this ruffled red satin style is the perfect choice to embrace an evening date. Satin straps wrapped around the ankle cross the sole to ensure the fit.
Red Scarlet Satin Sandals, €645 at Casadei
Flame Red Sandals With Polka Dots, €343 at Casadei
Ruffled colored satin adorns the luxurious upper of these summer sandals, while satin straps wrapped around the base of the shoe and the ankle ensure the fit.
Credit: Patricia Schlein / WENN / Ivan Nikolov / News Pictures / Derrick Salters