The Afro-Latino Influence in Cardi B’s Rise to Success

Cardi B has become an international sensation due to her catchy songs and incredible charisma. Having sang both in Spanish and in English, the rapper has conquered the music industry both in the U.S. and Latin America. Since the beginning of her career, Cardi has proudly talked about her Hispanic roots and, even though there has been controversy around it, she is a stallion of the Afro-Latino culture.

Born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, Cardi B grew up in The Bronx with a Dominican father and a Trinidadian mother of African and Spanish descent. Her stage name comes from a shortened version of the rum Bacardi. The singer had a tough upbringing, having joined a gang and getting fired from her first job. She ended up working in a strip club, which not only molded her personality into what we see today, but also got her out of poverty and saved her from an abusive relationship.

After gaining some popularity with her rap videos on Vine and Instagram, Cardi made her official debut in 2015, in the reality television series Love & Hip Hop: New York. In the following years, she started releasing music with rap and hip-hop tones, which would make “the girlies twerk.”

However, her big breakthrough in the industry didn’t come until 2017, with the release of the single “Bodak Yellow,” which entered every chart and broke every record. Cardi B became the first person of Dominican descent to reach number one in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 since it was launched in 1958.

Speaking of firsts, she then launched her first song in Spanish called “La Modelo,” collaborating with Puerto Rican singer Ozuna. Following these releases, Cardi marked a new milestone in the rap music industry with her album “Invasion of Privacy.”  In said album is the song “I Like It,” featuring Colombian artist J Balvin and Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny, which also became the first Latin song to reach number one on the Hot 100. She later collaborated with Ozuna again in “Taki Taki,” with Selena Gomez and DJ Snake.

After making several rap hits such as “Finesse,” “WAP,” “Money,” “Up” and “Rumors,” and also making her acting debut alongside Jennifer Lopez in “Hustlers,” Cardi returned to singing in Spanish. She joined forces with Brazilian singer Anitta and Puerto Rican rapper Myke Towers on “Me Gusta.”

CARDI B’S AFRO-LATINO ROOTS

Cardi has credited her music inspirations to be from both African-American and Latino roots, with singers like Missy Elliot, Beyoncé, Tweet and Lil’ Kim on one side and Selena and Ivy Queen on the other being her biggest influences. This is evident on her studio album and singles, which are a mix of hip-hop, trap, R&B and Latin music.

The rapper has talked about being Afro-Latina and Afro-Caribbean on many occasions. In 2018, she stated:

“We are Caribbean people. […] Some people want to decide if you’re black or not, depending on your skin complexion, because they don’t understand Caribbean people or our culture. […] I don’t got to tell you that I’m black. I expect you to know about it. When my father taught me about Caribbean countries, he told me that Europeans took over our lands. That’s why we all speak different languages. […] Just like everybody else, we came over here the same way. I hate when people try to take my roots from me. Because we know that there’s African roots inside of us.”

Moreover, in 2021, after being criticized and questioned for not acknowledging both sides equally, Cardi got on social media to clear out the rumors and misinformation of her descent.

“Before I even got my teeth fix, I was talking about my roots. Not just cause of fame. Thank you, carry on.”

The singer also posted an old video where she says she is half-Spanish, admitting she was unaware of the correct terminology at the time.

This had not been the first time Cardi had to stand up to critics, stating people assume that just because she is Latina she can’t be black, and that she is “light-skinned” when her grandparents are, in fact, black. “Some people want to decide if you’re Black or not, depending on your skin complexion, because they don’t understand Caribbean people or our culture. It’s time for ya to pick up a book. Learn my country’s history before ya type on this app,” she advised.