Cardi B was born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar in the Bronx, New York. Her mother was from Trinidad, and her father was from the Dominican Republic. Her younger sister, Hennessy, was named after a brand of cognac, and Almánzar was called Bacardi, a brand of rum, to match. She eventually shortened the nickname to Cardi B.

Cardi explicitly expressed that a line was crossed when BIA rapped that she had been unfaithful to Offset. In late December, she confirmed that she and the Migos rapper were separated after six years of marriage and two kids. On the diss, she says, “How you mad at him cheating on you?

On June 16, 2017, Atlantic Records released Cardi B's commercial debut single, "Bodak Yellow", via digital distribution. She performed the single on The Wendy Williams Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!