Before Cardi B became a household name, her father earned a living driving a New York City cab. Carlos Alman came from the Dominican Republic and built a family life in the Bronx. Cardi has spoken about his work, their shared sense of humour and the Dominican traditions he brought into her childhood. Yet he has told little of his own story in public. What do we actually know about him? The clearest picture comes from his daughter’s interviews and posts.
Carlos Alman: Key Facts Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name shared by his daughter | Carlos Julio Almanzar |
| Known for | Being the father of rapper Cardi B |
| Country of origin | Dominican Republic |
| Move to the United States | 1990, according to Cardi B |
| Former job | New York City cab driver |
| Time driving a cab | Nine years, according to Cardi B |
| Children with Clara | Cardi B and Hennessy Carolina |
| New York family connections | The Bronx and Washington Heights |
| Public birth date | Not reliably confirmed |
| Public profile | Few interviews with him are available |
Why His Name Appears in Different Forms
Carlos Alman is a name many readers use when looking for Cardi B’s dad. His daughter gave his fuller name as Carlos Julio Almanzar. Other reports spell the surname Almánzar, with the Spanish accent. The family name also appears in Cardi’s birth name, Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar. These different spellings refer to the same man. They also explain why readers may see different versions when searching for information about him.
Most available details come from what Cardi herself has said and from interviews conducted as her career began. His country of origin and cab driving work are well supported. By contrast, his exact birth date, personal wealth and current home have no clear support in those accounts. Some short biographies give precise answers anyway. Readers should take care with such claims, especially when they appear without a direct statement or a reliable record.
From the Dominican Republic to New York
Carlos Alman came from the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States in 1990, according to his daughter. New York became the setting for much of the family’s life. With a Dominican father and a Trinidadian mother, Cardi grew up with ties to two Caribbean countries. Her interviews make that background clear. They offer fewer details about her father’s life before the move, including his childhood and the reasons he left the island.
His move happened two years before Cardi was born in 1992. That timing places his New York life before the start of her story, although many readers know him only through her career. Little has been published about his first years in the city, including where he first lived or worked. What is clear is that he later earned a living driving a cab and had strong family ties in the Bronx and Washington Heights.
His Years Driving a New York Cab
Carlos Alman worked as a cab driver for nine years, according to Cardi. In a 2016 interview with The FADER, she said she was considering buying a small shop for him because he wanted to leave cab driving. A later FADER interview reported that she decided against the plan because it seemed too risky. She then offered him financial help, but he preferred that she find him a job. This is a rare glimpse of what he wanted at that point: a chance to keep working. The interviews show a daughter thinking seriously about how to help her father change jobs.
Cab driving stayed on Cardi’s mind after her career took off. In 2019, she responded to a report about the pressures faced by New York drivers. She said her father still spoke up for them and asked people to treat drivers kindly. Her comments show that she remembered how the work affected him. Reports now describe him as a former driver, although the exact date he stopped has not been clearly established in the early interviews.
Family Life in the Bronx and Washington Heights
Cardi B was born in Manhattan in 1992 and grew up between the South Bronx and Washington Heights. Her family lived in the Bronx, while visits to her father’s mother in Washington Heights were part of her childhood. She had parents from two Caribbean countries and a large network of relatives nearby. A profile in The FADER describes close family connections in the Bronx during those years. Those places and people remained important to Cardi long after she became a musician.
Carlos Alman and Clara had two daughters together, Cardi and her younger sister Hennessy Carolina. The sisters later became public figures, each in her own way. Their father’s everyday family life, however, has not been documented in the same detail. Much of what readers know comes from Cardi’s memories rather than from interviews with him. Her accounts tell us about family homes and shared traditions, while leaving many private routines outside the public record.
His Relationship with Clara and Their Daughters
Carlos Alman and Clara later separated. Cardi has said she was 13 when her parents split. In a later video, she recalled feeling that the change gave her more freedom as a teenager because both parents were no longer watching her at the same time. That was her own experience at the time. Public accounts give little detail about the former couple’s private decisions or how other family members felt about the separation.
In a Rolling Stone interview, Cardi described her father as the more relaxed parent and her mother as stricter. Those are her childhood impressions, rather than a full account of how either parent raised their daughters. She has continued to speak warmly about both of them as an adult. The family’s private relationships may have changed over the years, but her public comments show that both parents remain important in her story.
What Cardi B Has Said About Her Father
Carlos Alman appears in some of Cardi’s personal remarks about home and work. In a 2018 Father’s Day message, she described the two of them as having similar personalities and enjoying jokes. That gives readers a sense of how she sees him beyond his former job. She has also thanked him for helping when she needed an extra hand. Both memories come from her own public statements, rather than accounts from people outside the family.
She told Rolling Stone that watching her father’s experiences made her careful with money and interested in investing. She connected what she saw at home to choices she made as an adult. In an earlier FADER interview, she also worried about living comfortably while her parents were still working regular jobs. These interviews show how family work and money stayed on her mind as her career changed. They do not suggest that her father managed her career or made her financial decisions.
The Language and Food He Shared with Cardi
Carlos Alman brought a direct link to the Dominican Republic into his daughter’s daily life. Cardi told GQ in 2018 that her father spoke to her in Spanish. Her childhood also included her Trinidadian mother, her grandmother and the sounds of New York. In an interview published by CR Fashion Book, she said her father had talked to her about Caribbean history and why people across the region speak different languages. His stories helped her think about her roots and the mix of cultures in her family.
Food is another connection she has shared. Cardi credits her father with introducing her to tomatoes with salt and to Dominican dishes such as mondongo. These small memories come from her own posts and show how family traditions can stay with someone for years. She has also spoken about bringing her children back to the Bronx so they know the relatives and community she grew up with. Family meals remain one way she shares that background with them.
Helping Cardi B After She Became a Mother
Carlos Alman became a grandfather when Cardi welcomed her daughter Kulture in 2018. Soon after the birth, Cardi posted a video thanking both parents for their help. Her mother had stayed close to her, while her father was running errands in New York. Cardi said she was grateful for the extra hand. It was a practical kind of support during her first days as a mother, and she made a point of recognising what each parent had done.
In a 2023 conversation with InStyle, Cardi spoke about taking her children back to the Bronx and keeping them close to family. She wants them to know their grandparents and the community she came from. That wish echoes the strong family ties she describes from her own childhood. Her father’s support is visible in a few public moments, but she has not given a detailed account of how often he sees the grandchildren or what their days together are like.
Why He Is Seldom Seen in the Public Eye
Carlos Alman has not built a public career around his daughter’s celebrity. In 2019, a television reporter approached Cardi and her father on a New York street. When a camera turned toward him, Cardi objected and said she did not want him shown on television. She explained that he did not have security with him. The exchange shows how strongly she wanted to protect him from unwanted attention, although he has appeared with family at public events.
Most information directly from the family about him comes from his daughter. Readers can learn about his country of origin, his work and several family memories. Those sources do not give a full account of his childhood, an exact birth date or a detailed picture of his life today. He has been photographed with Cardi at an event, so keeping a low profile does not mean he is never seen. It means public accounts of his own life are limited. His link to a well-known daughter is public; much of his own life remains his to share.
Conclusion
Carlos Alman is best known as Cardi B’s father. He came to New York from the Dominican Republic, drove a cab for years and spoke Spanish with his daughter while sharing Dominican food and traditions. She has spoken about his humour, what she took from his experiences and the help he gave when she became a mother. His story is clearest in those ordinary details. They show a working father and a family connection that stayed important as Cardi’s life changed.
(FAQ’s)
1. Who is Cardi B’s father?
Her father is Carlos Julio Almanzar, a Dominican man who formerly drove a cab in New York City.
2. Is his surname Alman or Almanzar?
Cardi B has publicly given her father’s full name as Carlos Julio Almanzar. His surname is also written Almánzar.
3. Where is he from?
He is from the Dominican Republic. According to Cardi, he moved to the United States in 1990.
4. What work did he do in New York?
He worked as a cab driver for nine years, according to his daughter.
5. Does Cardi B have a sister?
Yes. Her younger sister is Hennessy Carolina. Both are daughters of Carlos and Clara.
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