Cardi B is a lot of things. She’s a Grammy winner, a mother of three (almost four as of late 2025), and a former stripper who turned a viral Instagram personality into a global empire. But there is one label that sticks to her like glue, no matter how many times she wins a lawsuit or tops the charts: Blood.
It’s not a rumor. She isn't hiding it. Honestly, she’s been one of the most transparent rappers in the game about her history. Still, every time a new headline drops, people act surprised. The internet has a short memory. Or maybe it’s just that the nuances of New York street culture don’t translate well to a suburban TikTok feed.
If you’re looking for a simple "yes or no," here it is: Yes, Cardi B has a history with the Bloods. But the "how" and "why" are way more interesting than the shock-value headlines.
The Highbridge Origins and the 5-9 Brims
Cardi grew up in Highbridge, a neighborhood in the South Bronx. It’s a place where, for a 16-year-old girl in the late 2000s, neutrality wasn't always an option. In a 2018 interview with GQ, she was blunt about it. She started hanging out with Bloods because that was her environment.
"I used to pop off with my homies," she told the magazine. They saw her energy and told her she should "come home"—street slang for officially joining. So she did.
But here is where people get confused. Not all Bloods are the same. Cardi has explicitly stated she is (or was) associated with the 5-9 Brims. This is a specific subset, or "set," of the Bloods. It’s different from the groups you see in movies or the ones that dominated the headlines during the federal trials of other rappers.
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The Brims have a long history in New York, particularly in the Bronx and Brooklyn. For Cardi, it wasn't just about "banging." She described it more like a fraternity or a sorority. A support system that, while dangerous, provided a sense of identity in a neighborhood where being "nobody" made you a target.
The Tekashi 6ix9ine "Snitch" Scandal
The most heat Cardi B's gang affiliation ever took was in 2019. That was the year Daniel Hernandez, better known as Tekashi 6ix9ine, took the stand as a government witness. During his testimony against members of the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, he was asked about other rappers who used gang members to boost their street cred.
He dropped Cardi’s name.
The internet exploded. But if you actually look at the transcripts, 6ix9ine didn't say she was in his gang. He just confirmed she was a Blood. Cardi’s response was classic Bardi. She hopped on Twitter and basically said: "Brim not 9 Trey."
She was making a distinction that most of the public missed. To the feds, a Blood is a Blood. To the people in those sets, Nine Trey and 5-9 Brims are entirely different entities with different leadership and different "laws." She was offended not because he called her a gang member, but because he associated her with a set she had nothing to do with.
Why She Doesn't Promote the Lifestyle
You’ll notice Cardi doesn't really "flag" in her music videos anymore. She doesn't use her platform to recruit. In fact, she’s gone on record multiple times telling young girls to stay away from that life.
"It’s a waste of your money. It’s a waste of your time," she told GQ.
She’s pointed out the reality that most "fans" don't see:
- No Profit: Being in a gang doesn't make you a single dollar.
- The Check-In: Even as a superstar, you’re expected to "check in" with your set. That's a liability when you're worth millions.
- Loyalty is Fickle: She’s seen people in the same set turn on each other.
She’s basically said that once you hit your 20s and have a job, being in a gang is a hindrance. If you have to be at work until 9:30 p.m., you can’t go to a "powwow" (a gang meeting). How do you explain that to a "Big Homie" without looking like you've turned your back? It’s a tightrope she’s been walking for years.
The 2018 Strip Club Brawl and Federal Indictments
It wasn't just talk, though. The reality of her associations bled into her professional life in a messy way. In 2018, an incident at Angels Strip Club in Queens led to a massive legal headache. Cardi was accused of ordering an attack on two sisters who worked as bartenders because she believed one of them was sleeping with her husband, Offset.
While it looked like a personal beef, federal indictments in 2020 against the 5-9 Brims mentioned the incident. The feds alleged that members of the gang carried out the assault at her request.
Cardi wasn't charged as a gang member in that federal case, but she did eventually plead guilty to two misdemeanors (third-degree assault and second-degree reckless endangerment) in 2022 to put the Queens case to bed. It was a wake-up call. It showed that even if she wasn't "active," the people around her were, and the authorities were watching every move.
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Navigating the "Red" Imagery in 2026
Fast forward to today. It's 2026, and Cardi is in a "reset" phase. She’s moving on from the drama with Offset and focusing on her third album. But you still see the influence. The way she uses the color red in her branding, the specific slang she uses in her "X Spaces" chats—it’s baked into her DNA.
She’s a "militant" person. That's her word. She knows her "oath" and her "nation." But she’s also a business mogul who knows that being too closely tied to street politics can kill a Pepsi deal or a movie contract faster than a bad album.
What This Means for Her Legacy
Cardi B's gang affiliation isn't a "gotcha" moment. It’s part of a survival story. She represents a generation of artists who didn't join gangs for the aesthetic, but because of the geography of their birth.
What most people get wrong is thinking she's still "putting in work" on the corners of the Bronx. She isn't. She's a mother who wants her kids to have a life she couldn't imagine at 16. But she also refuses to lie about where she came from. In a world of fake personas, that honesty—even when it's uncomfortable—is why her fan base, the Bardi Gang, is so fiercely loyal.
If you’re trying to understand the "real" Cardi, stop looking for a secret membership card. Look at her actions. She’s someone who escaped a cycle but still feels a sense of duty to the people she left behind. It’s complicated. It’s New York.
The Reality Check:
- Cardi B has admitted to being a member of the 5-9 Brims (Bloods) since age 16.
- She has never been associated with the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, despite Tekashi 6ix9ine’s claims.
- Her legal issues, like the 2018 strip club fight, have occasionally linked her to gang-affiliated individuals in court documents.
- She explicitly advises fans against joining gangs, citing them as a financial and safety drain.
The best way to follow Cardi's current stance is to watch her public statements on social media, where she frequently clarifies her history whenever it's misrepresented in the media. Understanding the difference between "repping" a culture and active "banging" is key to grasping how she maintains her status as both a street icon and a corporate-friendly superstar.