For those who thought that "Bodak Yellow" was Cardi B's 15 minutes of fame back in 2017, 2018 was the year to prove them wrong. Cardi's follow-through has been phenomenal.
She's broken down barriers by allowing her bubbly charisma and brash honesty to steer her to the top. These exact traits are the reason the world has fallen in love with her over the last year.
Not only has Cardi dominated airwaves and award shows in 2018, but she also ruled the internet with memes, gifs, and candid Instagram confessionals. She never quite seemed to exit the spotlight, and shows no sign of doing so yet.
Check out some highlights from Cardi's 2018 - her biggest year yet - below:
January: Finessing Chart Dominance
Just four days into the new year, Cardi got straight to her bag by featuring on Bruno Mars' "Finesse" remix - the 3x platinum single that landed Cardi her first #1 record as a featured artist, and second overall #1 after "Bodak Yellow."
The record joined other Cardi-led and assisted singles: "No Limit," "Motorsport," "Bardier Cardi," and "Bodak Yellow" in the Billboard Top 10. Cardi became the first woman to hold five top 10 singles on the chart at once, breaking Beyoncé's previous record of four.
Cardi even attended her very first Grammy Awards ceremony that month, and performed the mega-hit alongside Bruno Mars. Not such a bad start to the year, Cardi.
April: No Such Thing As Privacy
Just as rumors of an alleged pregnancy began to surface, Cardi's fittingly titled debut album, Invasion of Privacy, was released to the world. The 13-track project came armed with 5 singles, charting to #1 on the Billboard Hot 200, with 12 of the 13 tracks making the Billboard Hot 100. The album has been ranked highly in numerous "best of 2018" lists - landing the #1 spot on TIME Magazine.
Just the day after dropping her album, Cardi appeared on Saturday Night Live to perform her single, "Be Careful." The performance marked her debut on the iconic late night show, as well as the debut of her baby-bump - confirming previous rumors.
You thought a pregnancy could slow her down? Later that same month, Cardi took the stage at her first ever Coachella performance, where she bopped and twerked alongside special guests 21 Savage, YG, G-Eazy, and Chance the Rapper. Check out the show's setlist below:
May - July: MET Gala & Baby Kulture
Adding to her ever-growing list of firsts in 2018, Cardi attended her first MET Gala in early May. She certainly didn't take the invitation lightly, dressing in a one-of-one Jeremy Scott-designed Moschino gown with a matching headpiece. Check it out:
The next month, Cardi landed her next #1 single with the J Balvin and Bad Bunny-assisted, "I Like It." The mega-hit hijacked airwaves around the world for the remainder of the summer. Cardi's efforts finally began working for her at the perfect time, as she welcomed her child, Kulture, with Migos rapper Offset.
August - September: Awards & Feuds
In late August, Cardi stole the show at the VMA Awards. Making her first appearance post-pregnancy, Cardi opened the show by pulling everyone's leg. While delivering her speech, she coddled what looked just like a baby...could she have brought baby Kulture on stage for her first debut to the public? Nope, it was just a Moon Man wrapped in pink blanket.
With 12 nominations, including Best New Artist and Artist of the Year, Cardi tied with Childish Gambino for most awards won that night - each taking home three.
A few weeks later, Cardi and Nicki Minaj both made headlines following a confrontation the two had at a New York Fashion Week party. While tensions between the two seemed to have been bubbling for some time, this event officially commenced the "beef" that would continue to occupy memes and headlines for weeks.
October - December: Pre-Winter Glo
Cardi's success so far still didn't warrant a slow-down by any means. In October, she dropped her next single, "Money," which radio stations and playlists around the world quickly adopted.
In November, news broke that Cardi would be joining Chance the Rapper and T.I. as co-hosts of a new Netflix series, "Rhythm + Flow." The hip-hop competition show marks the first of its kind since "Love & Hip Hop," and is the only major scale hip-hop show today engaging audiences and providing opportunities to fans of the music and culture.
Embedded content is no longer available.
Following such a hot streak, Cardi finally earned her first headlining slot at Rolling Loud music festival in Los Angeles. As ravishing as her performance was, her spotlight was hijacked by now-ex husband Offset, who surprised Cardi on stage in a rather poor attempt at redemption. She took to Instagram to address the situation.
Baby-daddy drama aside, Cardi still managed to close out her year with a bang through 5 Grammy nominations, including a coveted Album of the Year nod for Invasion of Privacy.
Embracing her authenticity with such fearlessness is ultimately what paved Cardi's path. We all love her for being so candidly herself at all times - something we don't come across too often nowadays.
Cardi undeniably accomplished more in the last year than most can across several. Her 2018 has been wildly impressive. Here's to seeing an even better 2019.
