Cardi B kept her marriage to the rapper Offset under wraps until Monday, after it was revealed she was already married to him in September, despite a public proposal in October.
Cardi B is an open book on social media, posting daily dispatches from her life for her fans on Instagram — the same ones who helped the rapper secure the No. 1 spot on the Billboard chart when her debut album, “Invasion of Privacy,” came out in April.
But there are a select few life events she’s chosen to keep private, at least temporarily. When rumors abounded that she was pregnant, she waited months, wearing concealing outfits before finally making the big reveal in a body-hugging dress during a performance on “Saturday Night Live” in April.
Still, her engagement to the father of her child, the rapper Offset from the group Migos, seemed to be a public affair. In October, Cardi, born Belcalis Almanzar, fanned herself and appeared overwhelmed as Offset, whose given name is Kiari Cephus, got down on one knee and presented a ring onstage at a Philadelphia concert.
It turns out that moment was at least partially for show, because the couple was already married.
Cardi, 25, announced on Twitter Monday afternoon that she secretly got married to Offset in September without a ring or a dress. The rapper’s album features a few songs with semi-matrimonial titles like “I Do” and “Ring.” The music video for her song “Be Careful” sees Cardi in a wedding dress, but when she goes to a church to meet her groom, he’s in a coffin.
Fans speculated that the song was inspired by Offset allegedly cheating on the rapper.
Cardi hails from the Bronx but owns a home in Edgewater and currently resides in Offset’s native Georgia.
“This why i name my album ‘Invasion of privacy’ cause people will do the most to be nosey (sic) about your life,” Cardi tweeted, sharing a statement about the marriage. Her announcement followed a report from TMZ that showed Cardi and Offset had obtained a marriage certificate in September in Fulton County, Georgia despite Cardi’s numerous claims that she would be getting married after she gave birth to her baby.
The report also pointed to the fact that Offset thanked Cardi by referring to her as “my wife” at the BET Awards on Sunday when Migos won best group. Cardi won best female hip-hop artist and a viewer’s choice award for her song “Bodak Yellow.” (Maplewood’s SZA won best new artist.)
I LOOOVEEEEE OLIVES ..I actually can eat a whole jar by myself in one day …I like olive stuffed with cheese also ….They sell it in a supermarket round my home in NJ ….Soo good [?] https://t.co/shJ9WrE3bk
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) June 21, 2018
“There are so many moments that I share with the world and then there are moments that I want to keep for myself!” Cardi said in the statement. “Getting married was one of those moments! Our relationship was so new breaking up and making up and we had a lot of growing up to do but we was so in love we didn’t want to lose each other.”
She went on to say that she and Offset woke up one day in September and spontaneously decided to tie the knot. The only witness to their union was Cardi’s cousin.
“I said I do, with no dress no make up and no ring!” she said. Cardi explained the public proposal that followed by saying it was Offset’s way of giving her “that special moment that every girl dreams of,” complete with a ring.
“Well now that you nosey (sic) (expletives) know at least ya can stop saying i had a baby out of wedlock,” she said. Her baby, a girl, is due in July.
Cardi, a former stripper and former star of VH1 reality series “Love & Hip Hop: New York,” first gained major national fame for her song “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last fall. She’s currently at No. 2 with her song “I Like It,” featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin, from her “Invasion of Privacy” album. She’s also at No. 5 on the chart as a featured artist on the Maroon 5 song “Girls Like You.”
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.