Cardi B says her grandmother knew she was destined for stardom when she was just five years old, long before the rapper became a household name. During a newly released interview with NPR Music’s Alanté Serene, the Bronx native reflected on her childhood, her early love for performing, and the family member who recognized her potential before she could see it herself.
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The conversation followed Cardi’s recent NPR Tiny Desk Concert, where she performed several of her biggest records with a live band. While discussing her journey, the rapper revealed that her grandmother had been predicting her success since she was a little girl.“My grandma has, like, I don’t know, like 50 grandkids,” Cardi said. “And she would tell me, like, ‘You’re going to be a star.’ And I’m five. So she knew, she knew something, she saw something. Something that I didn’t used to see.”
Despite having such a large family, Cardi recalled that her grandmother specifically recognized something in her. At the time, she had no idea how far her passion for entertainment would eventually take her.
Cardi B also revealed that her interest in performing started long before she became a rapper. As a child, she enjoyed singing, creating songs, and acting. However, her academic performance sometimes prevented her from participating in school productions.
“I did went to school for musical theatre,” Cardi explained. “I always wanted to act. I used to love making songs. I used to like to sing. They never let me get into plays because I had bad grades, but I always entered the talent show. I used to rob the show, honey. I wasn’t the best singer. I wasn’t the best dancer.”
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Even without opportunities to participate in school plays, Cardi found ways to get in front of an audience. Talent shows gave her a chance to perform, and she remembered being able to capture people’s attention without considering herself the strongest singer or dancer.
That ability to entertain eventually became one of her defining qualities. Cardi also connected her talent for commanding a crowd to her years working as a stripper, another chapter of her life before she entered the music industry.
Her journey to superstardom was anything but conventional.
Before becoming a Grammy winner, Cardi B developed a following through her personality on social media and her appearances on VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop: New York.” She subsequently began building a music career, releasing independent mixtapes before achieving her major breakthrough.
In 2017, her single “Bodak Yellow” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, introducing her music to an even larger audience. The following year, she released her debut album, “Invasion of Privacy,” which also topped the charts.
In 2019, Cardi made Grammy history when “Invasion of Privacy” won Best Rap Album, making her the first solo female artist to receive the honor.
Her childhood interest in acting also became part of her professional career. Cardi appeared alongside Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer, and Constance Wu in the 2019 film “Hustlers,” playing a dancer named Diamond. She later appeared in F9, expanding her entertainment career beyond music.
Cardi B continued building her catalog with the September 2025 release of her second studio album, ‘Am I the Drama?” The project arrived seven years after her debut and became her second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200.
Her October 19, 2026, Tiny Desk performance brought several chapters of that career together. Backed by a live band under music director Adam Blackstone, Cardi performed eight songs, including “Hello,” “ErrTime,” “Man of Your Word,” “Be Careful,” “Up,” “AH HA,” “Bodak Yellow,” and “I Like It.”
According to NPR Music, the performance attracted an unusually large crowd to its offices, with some spectators unable to get inside. The intimate setting allowed Cardi to showcase her music alongside live musicians rather than the elaborate production associated with larger concerts.
Her conversation with Serene also revealed how early her creative interests developed. Years before television appearances, recording contracts, or sold-out performances, Cardi was already entering school talent shows and finding opportunities to entertain.
And although she remembers struggling with grades and missing out on certain school productions, her grandmother apparently saw something that went beyond those obstacles.
Today, Cardi B has chart-topping albums, a Grammy Award, film appearances, and a career that has taken her to stages around the world.
