Cardi B has two new music industry role models.
During her Wednesday appearance on Stationhead, the hitmaker, 28, revealed that she's had a change of heart when it comes to looking up to other stars.
"When I came to the game and people used to be like, 'Who do you look up to?' I always used to say, 'I don't look up to nobody,' because I didn't really understand the game and I only feel like I got influenced by the people that was around me," she told the host.
At the time, Cardi, née Belcalis Almanzar, looked up to her mom and other strippers (the "WAP" star is a former exotic dancer).
"But now that I'm at the level that I'm at, one of my biggest influences is Rihanna and JAY-Z," said the rapper. "And I'm not just saying it to kiss ass or anything. I just feel like they're so influential because Rihanna comes from a country, a Caribbean country, that my parents came from and she's a whole billionaire."
Rihanna is now behind Fenty Beauty and many other business ventures. Her Savage X Fenty line reached $1 billion in equity earlier this year, according to Forbes.
Cardi added during her appearance on Stationhead, "But for her to make her business so big and be a billionaire, that's what I strive to be. That's what I want. I want to be a billion-dollar woman. I want to build a huge brand."
As for music mogul and entrepreneur JAY-Z, Billboard's Woman of the Year said, "And JAY-Z, he's from the hood just like me. He's from the hood and this man's a whole billionaire. And that's just all about strategy and that's just all about shaking hands, that's just all about putting plans together."
Cardi B wants to emulate the two powerhouses — but she has become an inspiration to others in her own right.
The "Backin' It Up" rapper has released nine Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 since her music debut in 2017 (with her then summer hit song "Bodak Yellow)." She also has a long list of collaborative fan-favorite singles, which she's released alongside fellow hitmakers including Megan Thee Stallion, Selena Gomez, Nicki Minaj, the Migos and Maroon 5.
Most recently, with the release of her song "Up" (which peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart in February), she became the first female rapper to dominate the Hot 100 Chart without any features on her track since 1998 when Lauryn Hill set the record with her mega-hit "Doo Wop (That Thing)."
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