FROM THE STREETS TO STARDOM: Cardi B’s Rise to Rap Royalty Began with Daily Exposure to Hip-Hop in New York City. But she didn’t know what kind of music she was listening to.

Few rappers shine as brightly as Cardi B—a remarkable feat considering she’s released only one studio album. Hailing from the Bronx, Cardi’s journey to superstardom began in 2015, following stints as a stripper and a grocery store clerk in Tribeca. Since then, she’s become a chart-topping phenomenon, delivering smash hits like “Bodak Yellow,” “I Like It,” “WAP,” and “Up.”

Growing up in the heart of New York City, Cardi was immersed in hip-hop from an early age. Her earliest memory of rap came before she could even comprehend what she was hearing—just the booming voice of Biggie Smalls echoing from car stereos and street corners. “I’m from New York, so I heard Biggie outside every single day,” Cardi recalled in a conversation with Mariah Carey for Interview Magazine. But as a toddler, she didn’t quite understand the music. Her mother, determined to preserve her innocence, kept her tuned in to Barney and Disney songs. “My mom always wanted to keep me really childlike… so I was only interested in Barney and Disney.”

But hip-hop has a way of finding its audience—especially in New York. For Cardi, it was her grandparents who became the unlikely conduits. Visits to her grandmother’s house meant hours of watching BET, which opened her eyes to icons like Missy Elliott. “When I saw Missy Elliott take off her head in a music video, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so strange. I want to do that when I grow up.’”

Seeing bold female rappers like Trina further fueled her dreams. “She’s so sexy. I want to talk like that when I grow up,” Cardi said. Her mother may have tried to shield her from explicit lyrics and provocative fashion, but young Cardi was drawn to the very things she was told to avoid—belly shirts, kitten heels, and all.

Rap even gave Cardi her first taste of rebellion. When Khia’s raunchy anthem “My Neck, My Back (Lick It)” dropped in 2001, Cardi and her cousins would belt it out at family gatherings, much to her aunts’ dismay. “I knew I shouldn’t say it… even though I didn’t really know what the fuck it meant at the time.”

When asked to choose between Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z, and Biggie, Cardi’s loyalty was clear: “I’m gonna go with Biggie,” she declared. “I would go with Jay-Z, but Jay-Z would go with Biggie. Tupac is cool, but you know, I gotta keep it home.” For Cardi B, it’s New York above all else—a city that shaped her, inspired her, and ultimately made her a star.