Cardi B is a Trinidadian-Dominican female rapper from the Bronx who is one of hip hop’s biggest fascinations this year.

Just this past Monday, Cardi B made hip-hop history by earning the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with her summer hit “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)”, officially dethroning Taylor Swift’s pop single “Look What You Made Me Do”.

“Bodak Yellow” makes Cardi B the second female rapper to break this achievement without having any features, following Lauryn Hill’s solo single “Doo Wop (That Thing)” in 1998, which was nearly 20 years ago. Cardi B is also the first Latina to top the charts since Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” in 2006.

What makes Cardi B’s come up so special? The fact that she is just a “regular, degular, shmegular girl from the Bronx,” (her famous catchphrase) who has managed to capture America’s heart. If you are knowledgeable of Cardi B’s past, it feels like one of our family members has finally made it.

The 24-year-old, born Belcalis Almanzar, made her introduction into the world with her hilarious and unfiltered Instagram and Vine videos discussing sex, men, and making money. She is raw and honest about her stripper past, which is probably what makes her so endearing. In a recent interview with VladTV, Cardi claims that stripping “saved her life” and helped her leave her abusive relationship by allowing her to “get my own money and leave.”

The truth is, Cardi B and her story is a hood fairytale come true. In just under two years, she went from stripping in local clubs to landing a spot on VH1’s Love and Hip Hop: New York, to topping the charts. Although she only appeared on Love and Hip Hop for two seasons, she managed to create one of the most infamous lines in the show, pertaining to her feud with a fellow cast member’s girlfriend: “If a girl has beef with me,” she says as she dramatically turns around in the scene, “…she gon’ have beef with me foreva!”

Cardi capitalized off of this famous TV moment by making a song titled “Foreva.” Cardi quit her run on Love and Hip Hop in 2016 to focus on her music career, and released her first official mixtape Gangsta Bitch Music Vol. 1. In 2017, Cardi signed with Atlantic Records and released Bodak Yellow in June, which quickly became the summer anthem. Cardi has received love and praise from numerous names in the music industry for her seemingly overnight success.

Congratulations to a fellow NEW YAWKA on a RECORD BREAKING achievement. Bardi, this is the only thing that matters!!! Enjoy it💕💞🎀 @iamcardib

— NICKI MINAJ (@NICKIMINAJ) September 25, 2017

Congratulations @iamcardib for having a #1 record in the country that’s not as easy as it seem this huge🙌🏾 May u have continued blessings🙏🏾

— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) September 25, 2017

This is incredible . Your story is deeply inspiring . Congratulations my love @iamcardib 🙏🏿🙌🏾 #1 https://t.co/vSlghuvVVB

— Janelle Monáe, Cindi (@JanelleMonae) September 26, 2017

Although Cardi B is at the top right now, she has no plans to stop. Her immense hustle is what inspires us Bronxites and women all around the world.

“I just feel like I influence people because I’m like—I was practically homeless. A lot of people think dancers don’t struggle. We struggle a lot,” she reveals in an interview with Vibe. “It’s not even that work was an escape, no. I was working at the supermarket for about $200 a week. I was not going to go nowhere on that. I wasn’t gonna go anywhere. So, I started dancing and made enough money to move out of that house. And I’ve never looked back.”

*The opinions and ideas expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the opinions of The Bronx Brand*

Sydney is from Bedford Park, in the northwest section of the Bronx. She’s lived in the Bronx all her life, and is inspired by the strength of the people of the Bronx. She says, “If you can make it from the Bronx, you can make it anywhere.” She believes the Bronx has a charm that can’t be found anywhere else. She wouldn’t trade it for anything growing up here because it’s shaped her into the fighter she is today. You can follow her on Twitter: @sydney_joy and tumblr: http://sydneyj0y.tumblr.com/