Gaining exposure as a popular cast member of VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: New York, rapper Cardi B is also a raw and aggressive rapper in the style of Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown. The former stripper and social media star made her television debut on the reality show in late 2015, joining a cast that included Remy Ma. A year later, she made her musical debut alongside dancehall singer Popcaan on Shaggy’s “Boom Boom” single. The solo single “Cheap Ass Weave” and the mixtape Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 soon followed, both in early 2016. Two more singles, “Foreva” and “Wash Poppin’,” followed that summer. A second mixtape, Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 2, was released in early 2017. That same year, Cardi signed with Atlantic Records and scored a hit with the single “Bodak Yellow,” which climbed to the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 in late September. ~ David Jeffries