Cardi B makes history

Khalil Dukes

Bronx, New York native Belcalis Almancar, also known as Cardi B, has become the hottest artist in music after her debut-hit single ‘Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)’ hit the top spot on Billboard Top 100 last Monday. She is the first female rapper to be #1 on the Billboard Top 100 list with no feature artists since Lauryn Hill in 1998 (‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’).

The KRS Group/Atlantic Records artist is also the first female soloist to have a debut track with no features be the top track on the Hot 100 list since Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” in September 2014. On the Streaming Songs chart, “Bodak” is second on the list, and has been streamed 46.4 million times across the U.S., according to Nielsen Music. It has also jumped to No. 3 on Digital Song Sales, No. 13 on Radio Songs, No. 1 on Rhythmic Songs airplay chart, and is spending its fifth week at No. 1 on the Rap and R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts. It has also risen 85% to a purchase of 56,000 downloads in the second week of September alone, has become Hot 100’s most improved in download sales.  Let’s not forget to mention that ‘Bodak’ has 62 million all-format audience impressions.

Cardi B is now one of the top artists in music and is making history. However, she was not always known for her music. The Dominican and Trinidadian artist’s first claim to fame was on social media, after she became known for her viral Instagram posts. While she was also known for her time as an exotic dancer, her impact on social media earned her a casting role on Season 6 of VH1’s trendy reality series “Love & Hip-Hop: New York” in 2015. It was on this show that Cardi B’s altercation with another cast member caused her to be known for one of the season’s most famous lines.

“A girl have beef with me, she gonna have beef with me… Foreva.”

It is her personality and humanness that makes her lovable to all of her fans. Her ability to express her grind, feelings and sexuality is what allows her to connect with her fans. Not only is she able to relate with her fans, but also her family. Because Cardi’s father and his side of the family cannot understand English, she re-recorded “Bodak” in Spanish as a Latin Trap Mix featuring Latin rap star Messiah to make them proud.

If fans thought Cardi B was playing around when she got into the music industry, they are definitely a believer now. She has been nominated now for best new artist, single of year and seven other awards for this year’s BET Hip Hop Awards. Rap artist Kendrick Lamar and producer DJ Khaled are the only other musicians with nine nominees. Now the whole world knows that Cardi B does not dance now, but she in fact – makes money moves.