Belcalis Marlenis Cephus, known professionally as
Cardi B, is an American rapper. She is one of the most commercially successful female rappers of her generation. Born and raised in New York City, she first gained popularity through videos shared on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to early 2017, she appeared as a regular cast member on the VH1 reality television series
Love & Hip Hop: New York, which depicted her pursuit of her music aspirations, and earned further recognition with the release of her two mixtapes:
Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 (2016) and
Vol. 2 (2017).