Cardi B is a super successful musician, a money-making machine. Her single Bodak Yellow came out in 2017, and ranked first on the Billboard charts, beating even the unbeatable Taylor Swift and turning Cardi B into the first female rapper in 19 years to hold on to the No. 1 spot. A few years back Cardi B was working as an exotic dancer - How did she make the transition from dancing for money to making so much money and being one of the most famous musicians in the world? Read on to learn about hip-hop superstar Cardi B's rise to stardom, feuds, controversies, and relationships:

The Place In Which Cardi B Feels Most At Home

Cardi B was born in 1992 (real name Belcalis Almanzar) to a Trinidadian mom and Dominican dad, she always made it clear that family is a top priority for her. While doing an interview in 2017 with The Fader, she FaceTimed with her sister on breaks. Her flat was said to be filled with relatives during the interview, including a young cousin who came to do his laundry and two aunts. Her father has his own room to sleep in whenever he's in a fight with his wife. Cardi B said she liked the place, but felt most at home at her grandma's house.

Her First Public Performance

While She went to the Renaissance High School for Musical Theater and Technology, the sixteen-year-old Cardi B gave one of her first public performances at a talent show held at the school. She was dressed in red and went on stage with a few backup dancers. The song she performed was Lady Gaga's Bad Romance. The future rap star even showed off some moves straight from Lady Gaga's music video there. She was often cast in school musicals but then kicked out of them due to poor grades, she was a popular girl who preferred her friends over school.

Cardi B Is A Gang Member

Cardi B's ties to L.A's notorious Bloods gang might not be officially proven, but many signs suggest she's a proud member. When someone on Twitter called her a poser she angrily answered him that she's been a "blood" since she was 16. When she sometimes calls herself Bardi, it's most likely a reference to the Bloods' liking of replacing the letter 'C' with 'B' whenever they possibly can. It's believed that she even asked everyone to wear red (the gang's official color) to her wedding that was held in 2017.

Felt She Absolutely Had to Turn Her Life Upside Down

When Cardi was 18, she was working as a cashier in a supermarket that sold organic food. She showed up late a lot and was too generous with the discounts she gave to her co-workers so she was fired pretty quickly. Things weren't easy back then and there was a time in which she was crashing with an ex-boyfriend in his mother's house with two dogs, and his sister who stole her money and her weed… There were also bedbugs who lived there. Young Cardi B felt she needed a drastic change in her life.

Did Whatever It Took In Order to Survive

As the saying goes - when one door closes, another opens, and that was the case when Cardi B was laid off from the supermarket. Her supermarket manager told her that she was so pretty that she could work across the street at the nightclub Private Eyes as an exotic dancer. Cardi B didn't really like the idea but decided to go for it anyway. She did in one day more than she did in a week in the supermarket. She felt ashamed and kept imagining her mother shaking her head in disappointment, but she felt that she had to do it in order to survive.

Endangered Her Health For A Bigger Behind

Cardi B never felt comfortable doing it, but she still worked as an exotic dancer since she was a teen because she felt she had to do it in order to get by. The constantly candid rapper also said that she got illegal (and dangerous) injections that weren't approved by the FDA and weren't issued by a doctor to make her behind bigger. She was desperate to get a bigger butt and at the time many women were going to this lady in Queens that was giving the shots. Cardi got her number, went to her house and got the shots.

Had A Low Self Esteem & Body Image Issues

Cardi admitted she had issues with her body image while she was working as an exotic dancer. She was working in a nightclub where most of the girls were white and they were making more money than the colored girls so Cardi kept wondering if she'd be able to make more money if she was white. When Cardi started going to the clubs in the hood she suddenly felt that she wasn't thick enough, and that was when she decided to go and get her behind done. For years she felt like she just wasn't good enough.

Her Teeth Cost Like A Luxury SUV

When people started speculating if Cardi had work done on her teeth or not, the megastar addressed the issue on Instagram. She wrote that people used to insult her teeth, but now after she had them fixed, people are mocking her that she's fake and that's not fair. In her hit single, Bodak Yellow, she rapped about paying big money in order to fix her teeth.  Celebrity dentist Dr. Catrise Austin got paid tens of thousands of dollars for the job, with the sum said to be as high as what it would cost to buy a luxury SUV!

A Social Media Mastermind?

Cardi B had 1 million Instagram followers by the time she was 23. People referred to her as a  social media mastermind, but the rapper said that she just took a camera and behaved like her normal self. When people meet her they're surprised to see that she's just like her Instagram videos. Currently, Cardi has an astounding amount of 42 million followers and the number only keeps rising and rising, Cardi herself can't believe how successful she really is. She never imagined she'd be so immensely popular and social media helped her a lot to become the superstar that she is today.

A Reality TV Star

When VH1's reality show Love & Hip Hop: NY aired its trailer for the show's sixth Season, with Cardi B starring, it instantly turned viral. In the video, the rapper breaks a car window and issues a warning that if someone's going to have a beef with her it's going to last "Foreva" (forever). That last word turned into a catchphrase, and Cardi B took advantage and turned it into a single called Foreva. When they first offered her to participate in the reality show she was hesitant and afraid that her image would be hurt, but eventually, she agreed and starred in Love & Hip Hop: NY for two seasons.

Brought The Hip Hop to Love & Hip-Hop

While she was starring on Love & Hip-Hop, Cardi B released her first mixtape, Gangsta B**ch Music, Vol. 1, which included 13 tracks, including her viral hit Foreva. Vice's TV show Noisey referred to it as by far the best, most enjoyable music to come out of Love & Hip-Hop, commenting that Cardi B's music was actually the first time in which a cast member managed to nail the 'hip-hop' part of the title Love & Hip-Hop. Positive reviews of that sort helped build her reputation as a musician and paved her way to success.

Always Speaks Her Mind

Cardi B made all the way up to the top of the music charts after her single Bodak Yellow was released. While other artists are bothered about maintaining a formal and respective public image in their media appearances, the young rapper has been complimented for regularly speaking her mind. Her unfiltered approach to life got her involved in many different controversies. Things were definitely more interesting if all of us just said what we were thinking all the time, but not everyone is as honest as Cardi B.

Her Social Media Manager Was the One Who Advised Her to Start Rapping

Cardi B became famous online long before she started her music career. She had a lot of followers by the time she was 18 since she was already a famous dancer in New York clubs. After she was very popular on Instagram and Vine, she hired someone who'll manage her social media accounts. That social media manager was the one who convinced her to start rapping - He told her that she had a unique voice and that she needed to start recording ASAP. Cardi B released her first freestyle just before she joined the cast of Love & Hip Hop New York's sixth season. The show made her a huge star and launched her career to worldwide acclaim.

Why Cardi B Doesn't Feel Guilty For Having It Easy

While many rappers find it impossible to make it big in the industry, Cardi B had it quite easy. Many people – industry and fans, are angry at her for having it too easy and Cardi B is well aware of this, but she doesn't feel guilty at all since she worked hard for success to arrive. She said that when she was working as an exotic dancer, she used to work six nights a week. She worked tirelessly to make ends meet and she's still working hard today.

Doesn't Hide Her Lack of Originality

Cardi B has been accused of stealing flows from other rappers. Her hit song Bodak Yellow was said to be inspired by Kodak Black's song from 2014 - No Flockin. When asked about the allegations, she had no problem saying that she was influenced by the style of other famous musicians. During a live performance, she said that she doesn't care if people believe she copied Kodak or Migos or Meek Mill. So what if I sound like all the favorite rappers? I take their flows and I make it mine, she added. Is anyone original these days?

Nicki Minaj & the Feud Cardi B Is Actually Willing to Talk About

Playing nice is not one of Cardi B's main focuses. Some new artists try really hard to make sure everyone likes them, Cardi B is exactly the opposite. A persistent rumor circulated that she fought with Nicki Minaj, though both MC's weren't willing to talk about it. One rivalry Cardi B is willing to speak about involves a mystery person who never liked her but all of a sudden wanted to be her best friend. The rapper had a very long and explicit rant in which she let the unnamed woman know that they would never be friends.

It Seems That There Isn't A Thing That Would Convince People That No Drama Was Happening Between Cardi B & Nicki Minaj

Cardi B and Nicki Minaj were never the best of friends, and at some point(s), their alleged feud has been blown up to gigantic proportions. The two women first started to be asked questions regarding their relationship when they worked together on the Migos’ track Motorsport, and fans believed that a rap battle was actually taking place. They denied the rumors, saying that women in the music business are often marked as rivals for no good reason. Both of them agreed that the whole story was just tiring and annoying and that people were simply looking for some drama.

The Row With the NYPD

In the fall of 2017, Cardi B accused on Twitter a NY City cop of choking her and slamming her against a car. In the Tweet that was since deleted, she criticized the NYPD and blamed the department for not doing its job. As the story goes, a driver hit Cardi B's car, she got out and confronted him, and that's when the cops came. The rapper claimed that a white cop roughed her up and then let her go, the NYPD looked into the accusations and couldn't find any info on the incident with nothing showing up on surveillance cameras as well.

Was She Asked To Leave the Luxury Hotel Due to Racism?

As you become more and more successful people are likelier to be out to get you. It was reported that Cardi B booked a room at the Albany Hilton hotel, but some guests complained about noise coming out of her room around 1 a.m. The Hotel's staff smelled marijuana, and the rapper and her crew were asked to leave the hotel. The musician posted online a video of her leaving the hotel, In it, she blames the hotel's staff for being racist and swears at them. She has since deleted that video.

Fighting In Front of the Whole World

When Cardi B started dating Offset, a member of the rap group Migos, they immediately became a music power couple. At the beginning of their relationship, they tried to keep it private, but soon enough Cardi B's love life attracted a lot of online attention. In late 2017, during the course of ten minutes, she uploaded a few messages on Snapchat relating to a fight they had and the internet went crazy. Her posts made Offset call it quits and Cardi B added a single caption with Offset responding angrily.

Was the Fight Just An Elaborate Publicity Stunt?

While fans and half of the internet started freaking out over their split happening in real time, Cardi B understood that she made a mistake, apologized to Offset for her behavior, and offered a worthy compensation in the form of a meal at Waffle House. She then posted on Twitter and admitted that their argument started out when she accused him of stealing her beloved purple blanket. Just days later, Offset put the most beautiful diamond engagement ring on Cardi B's hand, leading people to think that perhaps their fight was just a publicity stunt.

Has A Jaw-Dropping Net Worth

Cardi B's net worth is a whopping $8 million. At the beginning of 2016, her net worth was just $400,000 and a year later it was already $1.5 million. Half a year passed and Cardi B's net worth rose to $4 million and In the summer of 2018, her estimated net worth was $8 million. During that same year, she was included in Time Magazine's yearly list of the one-hundred most influential people in the world. She won many accolades including three American Music Awards, A Grammy Award, and three MTV Video Music Awards.

Her Younger Sister Is Also A Social Media Star

Hennessy Carolina is Cardi B's younger sister, she also has a large social media following and has accompanied her slightly more famous sister to several award shows, including the 2017 Grammys. Hennessy was also a regular on the reality TV show Love & Hip Hop: New York and stood out thanks to her unique clothing style and aspires to create her own fashion line. She was a participant on The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars - a game show featuring competitors who partake in athletic challenges in order to raise money for charity.

Her Daughter & The Best Day of Cardi B's Life

Cardi B's Daughter was born in July 2018 and was named Kulture Kiari. She started saying mama right after she saw her mom win her first Grammy award. Was it just a coincidence or was this her way of saying I'm proud of you mom! We will never know. In December 2018 Cardi B announced she and Offset were breaking up after only one year of marriage but they have since reunited. When they showed up together to the Grammy Awards it was clear that they loved each other very much.

What Was the Reason For Cardi B & Offset's Break Up?

It seems that Cardi B and Offset's successful careers were the main reason for their breakup more than anything else. Their relationship became more of a business venture than a romantic relationship. Cardi B announced calmly to her fans that since things weren't working out between them they've decided to end their marriage. Offset's interest in other women might've also been one of the causes for the strain in their relationship but luckily, after less than two months apart the lovers reunited and they're now happy together.