Photo: YourTango
She's knows the true meaning of being authentic yourself.
By Josephine Fuller — Written on Jan 14, 2021
Back in 2015, now famous rapper Cardi B, whose given name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, first shot to fame after securing a spot on the VH1 reality show Love and Hip Hop: New York. As a regular cast member, she was known for not only being hilarious but also having a no-nonsense attitude and endless Bronx pride.
Raised by a Dominican father and Trinidadian mother, Cardi B's iconic laugh (and other sound effects) then became household fixtures when she signed her first major record deal with Atlantic Records in 2017. The combo effect of her debut single "Bodak Yellow" and follow up hit "I Like It" made history, as Cardi B became the first female rapper with two Billboard Hot 100 number one songs. And in the years since, she's been back there two more times, with her Maroon 5 collaboration and "Girls Like You" and most recently, "WAP."
Now estimated to have a net worth of $30 million, Cardi B's songs and lyrics are instantly recognizable, with her most famous saying likely being her now infamous, "Okurrrrr!"
Cardi B hasn't let her rocky relationship with Migos rapper Offset or dive into motherhood to their daughter Kulture stop her from being her full, unadulterated self — and these Cardi B quotes will inspire you to hold your head high no matter what, just like she does.
50 Inspirational Cardi B Quotes And Song Lyrics
1. “But being a feminist is real simple; it’s that a woman can do things the same as a man. Anything a man can do, I can do. I can finesse, I can hustle. We have the same freedom. I was top of the charts. I’m a woman and I did that. I do feel equal to a man.” — Cardi B
2. “Knock me down 9 times, but I get up 10.” — Cardi B
3. “Always have a goal, always have a second plan.” — Cardi B
4. “I only f--- with people who are secure enough to be happy for me and hype me up. I don't want any 'friends' who fall silent during my success.” — Cardi B
5. “I pay my mama's bills, I ain't got no time to chill.” — Cardi B, "Bodak Yellow"
6. “Do whatever you have to do. People always want to tell you how to do it. No, do it your way. And don’t ask for like, 'oh how can you do it' … do it, figure it out. I figured it out one way or another and I did it.” — Cardi B
7. “Do what you do and make your own way.” — Cardi B
8. “I think us bad b----es is a gift from God” — Cardi B
9. “Ain’t no more beefing, I’m just keeping to myself. I’m my own competition, I’m competing with myself.” — Cardi B
10. “Me: Unbothered, moisturized, in my lane, well-hydrated, flourishing.” — Cardi B
11. “We might as well be true with ourselves.” — Cardi B
12. “The ‘B’ stands for whatever, depending on the day...beautiful or bully.” — Cardi B
13. “If a girl have beef with me, she gon’ have beef with me forever.” — Cardi B
14. “I’m an emotional gangster. I cry once every month.” — Cardi B
15. “If you want it, and the more you keep hearing you can’t have it, you just go and get it.” — Cardi B
16. “I just want to tell you college kids that I know sometimes it gets discouraging because you see people around your age making money on Instagram … Don’t get discouraged, just see it as my wealth and my richness is on layaway.” — Cardi B
17. “The women that inspire me, to be honest, are the women that struggle.” — Cardi B
18. "I'm Just a regular degular shemgular girl from the Bronx." — Cardi B
19. “I’m more than what a lot of people think that I am—or will be.” — Cardi B
20. “I’m bout this shmoney.” — Cardi B
21. “A lot of people always question, 'What else can she do, what else can she do?' And I'm going to show you.” — Cardi B
22. "I ain't scared of s---. I will always speak on how I feel. I'll be damned if fame and other people have me being a slave to my own thoughts.” — Cardi B
23. “Make more than the guys you thought you wanted to be with.” — Cardi B
24. “I don’t want your punk a-- man, I’m too tough.” — Cardi B
25. “I feel beautiful without makeup on, but when I do put makeup on, it just gives me this extra pop.” — Cardi B
26. "I have a passion for music; I love music. But I also have a passion for money and paying my bills." — Cardi B
27. “To me, music is art and fashion is art, but fame? Fame isn’t art, but the person you become when you’re famous — your alter ego — that’s art.” — Cardi B
28. “A h-- never gets cold.” — Cardi B
29. “I have real good parents. They poor. They have regular, poor jobs and what not. They real good people and what not; I was just raised in a bad society.” — Cardi B
30. “Am I ever gonna grow a thick skin? No.” — Cardi B
31. “You just learn as time passes.” — Cardi B
32. “I was always scared to follow my dreams because if I follow my dreams and I fail, I can't dream about it anymore. It's easier to settle for less.” — Cardi B
33. “Remain humble but stay hungry.” — Cardi B
34. “This is my work ethic: I do not want to raise my future kids where I was raised, and I know the only way to do it is working, working, working, working, working.” — Cardi B
35. “I’m surprised Beyonce liked me. I met Beyonce!!” — Cardi B
36. “What counts the most for women is having the confidence to make your own money.” — Cardi B
37. “I have 100 percent Bronx pride like it’s a country like I AM the Bronx.” — Cardi B
38. "Made a couple M’s with my best friends / Turned all my L’s into lessons.” — Cardi B, "Best Life"
39. “I used to worry a lot. I still worry a lot, but not about the things that I used to worry about because my younger self, I didn’t regret anything that I ever did… I was happy, and I was free, and I was living it up.” — Cardi B
40. “When women come up to me like, 'I am a freaking senator,' or, 'I'm a doctor,' it's like, 'Damn, y'all like me? I look up to y'all!' — Cardi B
41. “When you hear my lyrics, you hear the shots that I throw at people. I throw shots because I always been the underdog. I got rejected so many times, and I say it in my lyrics constantly.” — Cardi B
42. “I'm the rose that came from the concrete and arose.” — Cardi B, "Best Life"
43. “The faster I make a lot of money, the faster I can have these kids I want.” — Cardi B
44. “I wanna hear myself everywhere.” — Cardi B
45. “I’m going to encourage any type of woman. You don’t have to be a woman like me for me to encourage and support you and tell you, ‘yes b----, keep on going.'” — Cardi B
46. “I don't care about anyone not liking me, you b----es barely like yourselves.” — Cardi B
47. "I’m known for proving people wrong. Remember that.” — Cardi B
48. “You better realize your worth and stop settling for bare minimum.” — Cardi B
49. “I’ve been hanging around a lot of people that’s wealthy, that is rich, that is famous. One thing I learned is that no matter how much money you have, no matter how big you are, how famous you are, they will still end up stealing your charger and your lighter.” — Cardi B
50. “It’s not that people want to be like me, but some want to say the things I say and can’t because they’re afraid. I say it for them.” — Cardi B
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Josie Fuller is a writer who studies Journalism and Women's Studies at The University of Florida.