Cardi B before she was famous
Fired from a grocery store. Then Atlantic signed her.
The nobody years, in pictures
Reconstructions of documented moments, generated with AI. Not archive photographs.
1992: Born in Washington Heights
It's 1992, and a baby girl arrives in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Her father is Dominican, her mother is Trinidadian, and the block outside is loud with both worlds at once.
Was born in Washington Heights, Manhattan, to a Dominican father and a Trinidadian mother. Source
1990s-2000s: Raised in Highbridge, Bronx
The family's world shifts up to Highbridge, in the South Bronx. She grows up on those blocks, learning the rhythm of stoops, buses and corner stores.
Was raised in the Highbridge neighbourhood of the South Bronx. Source
2000s: Nickname becomes stage name
Around the neighborhood, people already call her Bacardi. She trims it down, and the nickname becomes a name: Cardi B.
Took her stage name from Bacardi, a nickname she already had. Source
early 2010s: Fired from Tribeca grocery store
Downtown in Tribeca, she's working a grocery store job, stocking shelves and ringing up customers. Then one day she's fired, and the paycheck is gone.
Worked at a grocery store in Tribeca and was fired. Source
early 2010s: Dancing at nearby club
She starts dancing at a club nearby, and the money is immediate. She later says it's what pulled her out of poverty and put her back toward school.
Began dancing at a club nearby, later saying it was her way out of poverty and back into education. Source
early 2010s: Enrolled at community college
With that money she enrolls at Borough of Manhattan Community College. The classrooms don't hold her for long, and she leaves before finishing.
Enrolled at Borough of Manhattan Community College and later left. Source
2013: Going viral on Vine
Then she picks up her phone. Her own clips on Vine and Instagram start pulling in strangers by the thousands, drawn to the way she talks.
Started drawing attention through her own videos on Vine and Instagram. Source
2015: Joins reality TV show
In 2015, the cameras arrive for real. She joins the sixth season of Love & Hip Hop: New York, and suddenly the whole country hears that voice.
Joined the sixth season of Love & Hip Hop: New York. Source
2016: Releases debut mixtape
She turns the attention into actual music. Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 drops as a mixtape, her first real body of work.
Released the mixtape Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1. Source
2016: Leaves TV for music
At the end of 2016 she walks away from the show. No more cameras following her around — from here, it's music full time.
Left the television show at the end of 2016 to work on music full time. Source