Cardi B quickly rose to fame as a talented and trendy rapper. The cultured star has been around the world for her work, but does the celebrity speak Spanish?
Cardi B speaks Spanish. The rapper is multilingual and can fluently speak Spanish as well as English.
Cardi B is Fluent in Spanish
Spanish is actually Cardi B’s first language. The star grew up with a Dominican father and Trinidan mother who spoke Spanish in the home.
Cardi B has revealed that she is actually insecure about her English. While she is comfortable in Spanish, she worries about using incorrect grammar in her English raps.
Cardi B has used her fluent Spanish in various interviews and publicity events. In 2017 she did an entire interview in Spanish with the radio station El Vacilón de la Mañana in New York City.
Cardi B is an American celebrity and mostly speaks English in her raps or public appearances. However, she is able to use her Spanish skills to connect with diverse fans and join the Latin music scene.
Cardi B in Spanish Remixes
Although Cardi B gained fame with English rap songs like “Bodak Yellow,” the star also performs in Spanish. Cardi B made her first crossover into Latin music with the 2017 remix of “Ahora Dice” by Chris Jeday and featuring Ozuna, J Balvin, and Arcangel.
Cardi B also turned her first megahit, “Bodak Yellow” into a hyped up Latin remix in 2017. She brought on Dominican-American rapper Messiah for the remix.
In her Latin version of “Bodak Yellow” Cardi translated most of her verses into Spanish. She retained some of the iconic phrases in English, but effortlessly transitioned most of them into Spanish while retaining most of the original meaning.
Cardi B shows that she can spit her same exciting verses in Spanish just as well as she does in English. Her guest rapper Messiah also raps in Spanish and holds his own on the track.
In late 2017 Cardi B worked with Ozuna on his song “La Modelo.” Cardi’s rap verse is in English, but she sings the chorus and refrain in Spanish.
Cardi B Makes Her Own Spanish Music
After joining Spanish remixes and rapping feature verses in Spanish, Cardi B finally took control and created her own Spanish song. In 2018 she released “I Like It,” a Latin trap song featuring rappers Bad Bunny and J Balvin.
“I Like It” features a classic salsa beat blended with trap music. The song samples an old Latin boogaloo hit from the 1960s.
“I Like It” was significant in Cardi B’s career because this was the first Spanish song she could take complete credit for. Unlike her previous features or remixes, this song was all hers and she was able to create massive success with her own track.
After “I Like It,” Cardi B rapped another guest verse on the massive Latin hit “Taki Taki” by DJ Snake and also featuring Selena Gomez and Ozuna. Cardi B rapped in English but sang the refrain in Spanish.
Cardi B’s Spanish Accolades
Cardi B’s Spanish songs were not just mega hits. These tracks also won the artist numerous awards and notable recognitions from the Spanish-speaking music community.
Her song “I Like It” won Billboard’s Best Remix in Latin as well as Song of the Year from El Premio ASCAP.
Taki Taki won Song of the Year in 2019 at the Latin American Music Awards, as well as Best Crossover Collaboration of the Year From the Lo Nuestro Awards.
Beyond Cardi B’s Spanish hits, the Spanish-speaking community loves the star herself. Cardi B won Star of the Year in 2018 from People en Español magazine.
Young Spanish speakers also adore Cardi B. She won Best Reality Show Break-Out Artist and Shoe-Aholic at the 2018 Premios Juventud, a Spanish award show hosted by the television network Univision.
In 2018 she also won Best Latin Female Artist of the Year from the Latin Music Italian Awards. These awards for Cardi B as a top celebrity show that although most of her work is in English, she is still regarded as a powerful artist in the Latin music scene around the world.
Cardi B has demonstrated her fluent Spanish and uses the language to connect with her Spanish-speaking fans. She speaks and raps in Spanish, and has won numerous awards as a Latin music scene superstar.