The Year in Music 2018: The Cardi B ‘Invasion’ is complete

ABC/Image Group LAAfter climbing the charts, and breaking records with “Bodak Yellow” in 2017, it was anybody’s guess as to whether Cardi B would be able to build on her success in 2018.

As it turned out, however, the Bronx-bred rapper more than exceeded expectations with her stacked debut album, Invasion of Privacy. The project spawned a string of singles, including “I Like It,” “Bartier Cardi” and “Be Careful,” and achieved double-platinum status late in the year.

Since the release of her debut, Cardi has remained one of the most visible women in hip-hop, being tapped for a Rolodex of features. 2018 saw her score guest spots on Maroon 5‘s seven-week #1 “Girls Like You” and Bruno Mars‘ smash “Finesse” remix.

In April, Cardi revealed her pregnancy in dramatic fashion on Saturday Night Live, and in July, she gave birth to her baby girl, Kulture, with husband and Migos front man Offset. Pregnancy and motherhood caused Cardi to cancel a number of concert appearances, including dates on Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic tour, but by the end of the year, she’d returned to the stage and to TV.

In addition to breaking records on the charts, Cardi took home the hardware, winning three American Music Awards, two BET Awards, a Billboard Music Award and three MTV VMAs, among other honors. She’s also up for five Grammy Awards at the upcoming February 2019 ceremony.

The only things that slowed Cardi’s roll in 2018: her beef with Nicki Minaj — which resulted in her allegedly throwing a shoe at the Queen rapper at a Fashion Week party — and the breakup of her marriage to Offset. At press time, the couple had not reconciled, despite Offset’s non-stop pleas for her to take him back.

Going into 2019, the question remains as to whether or not Cardi will join Maroon 5 onstage for the band’s Super Bowl halftime show, or whether she’ll refuse to appear in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick. So far, there’s been no official announcement one way or another.