Today, one of hip-hop’s prominent couples seemingly called it quits. Cardi B and Offset, who tied the knot in September of 2017, found themselves “falling out of love,” though seemed content to keep things amicable. Of course, the circumstances surrounding their alleged breakup remain mysterious, though speculation has run rampant throughout their respective fanbases. It’s likely that more details of various degrees of credibility will surface, especially given that Offset’s untitled debut is set to drop on December 14th. In fact, some paranoid types have already concluded a conspiracy is afoot, dubbing the entire situation an elaborate ruse. Yet for all intents and purposes, the union has indeed come to an end.
Of course, some felt convinced the couple was doomed from the jump. Others were quick to champion for the union, who seemingly overcame all manner of challenges. To call them a fan favorite feels fair, insofar as celebrity couples can be. In honor of the once mighty couple’s brief, yet memorable run, why not familiarize yourself with the tumultuous tale?
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Before Cardi B shot into ubiquity with “Bodak Yellow,” she was stomping Timbaland boots across the New York streets. Her pre-fame Gangsta Bitch series found the rapper developing her sound, which felt decidedly more brash than lavish; the days of “Drip” were a long time from being prophesied. A quick examination of Gangsta Bitch 2, which dropped on January 20th of 2017, reveals Offset as the album’s most established feature.
Two weeks later, Offset and Cardi were seen leaving Houston’s NRG Stadium together, though Cardi was still being associated with her Love & Hip-Hop stint. Not long after, Cardi made sure to hit Offset with a Valentine’s Day message, further prompting speculation of untapped chemistry.
WESTWOOD: THE PICTURE OF SUBTLETY
By April, Culture was rapidly proving to be one of the year’s best albums, and the Migos movement seemed to triple overnight. The album’s success led to Migos heading overseas, whereupon a conversation with Tim Westwood proceed to go down. Tim, ever the picture of subtlety, took to asking Offset about what may or may not have been a blossoming romance with Cardi B.
What followed was an awkward silence for the ages, in which Migos literally used ad-libs to cut the tension. If and when you are ever asked a question you’re unwilling to answer, consider replying with “peek-a-boo.” Tim’s suspicions indeed gained extra credibility within the following weeks, after Offset and Cardi were spotted in the club, attending what may very well have been a Met Gala after party.
THE RISE
After Cardi B originally dropped her breakout single “Bodak Yellow” in the middle of June, the dating rumors seemed to intensify. Near the tail end of July, Offset and Cardi attended a Meek Mill concert in tandem, where Cardi was rocking a new gift from the Migos rapper. Later, it was reported that Cardi’s new chain had a value of $60,000. A few weeks later, Migos brought Cardi onstage to perform “Bodak Yellow” in Toronto, which was met with a raucous response from the crowd. It should be noted that, despite appearing together with increasing frequency, Offset and Cardi were keeping their relationship status quiet.
Eventually, however, the couple seemed to simply manifest itself into reality. At the end of September, Offset seemed thrilled that “his bitch” was number one on the charts. Hindsight reveals that the pair were already married by this point (with the exact date being September 20th) but the knowledge had yet to reach the public forum. Of course, the fact that the couple would go on to stage an elaborate proposal is curious in itself, and speaks to the spectacle expected to surround a high profile couple. Still, a later report from TMZ indicated that the pair were married in Offset’s hometown of Atlanta, in an intimate ceremony.
In any case, the period of September and October seemed to be a tumultuous point in the couple’s relationship. On October 11th, Offset displayed a rare exhibit of public emotion, taking to Instagram to praise Cardi, going so far as to hit her with the “L Word.” On October 22nd, the pair experienced their first break-up, only for Cardi to backpedal, citing her “Bronx-Girl” impulsivity.
On October 27th, Offset bent the knee. The rapper proposed to Cardi during a concert in Philadelphia, much to the delight of a sold-out crowd. Cardi said yes, which is no surprise, given that the couple had already been married for over a month. Cardi took to Instagram to pen a heartfelt message, writing “Thank you for seeing the potential in me since you met me .For giving me advice molding me and loving me. Your such a amazing man to me your family ,friends ,kids and you are extremely talented.I can’t wait to spend FOREVAAAA with you .Lets make a lot shmoney and love together.”
THE FALL
Eventually, a few cracks began to surface. With hype of a solo album rapidly mounting, Cardi B went on to announce her “Bodak Yellow” followup “Bartier Cardi” in December. The single notoriously featured myriad references to Offset, many of which depicted him in an X-rated manner; fans were quick to equate the name-dropping to a Big-Sean-on-Jhene-Aiko-esque tattoo, advising caution on further endeavors.
Days later, Cardi found herself facing a harsh reality. Rumors of Offset’s alleged adultery surfaced on Christmas Day, in which a nude woman was seen prancing around Offset’s apartment. Despite the seemingly explosive nature of the revelation, Boxing Day found the couple as bawdy as ever; as a result, many believed that they had worked out whatever issues might have plagued them. Yet the dominoes continued to drop, with notorious groupie Celina Powell emerging, termite-like, from the woodwork.
The sociopathic fornicator proceeded to kick off what would prove to be an elaborate and sordid ruse, claiming that Offset was the father of her unborn child. Though evidence seemed to point to a minute degree of potential accuracy, it was eventually revealed to be a disturbingly committed lie; still, coming off the heels of yet another adulterous accusation, the Celina narrative seemed to take a toll nevertheless. On December 29th, Cardi took a moment to issue a warning: “You do that shit again, you going to lose your wife.”
“MAMA!”
On Valentine’s Day of 2018, it was reported that Cardi B was pregnant with Offset’s child. At this point, Cardi continued to maintain that she had merely “gotten fat,” yet TMZ seemed adamant that she was carrying. On February 16th, Offset attempted to shut down the rumors before they grew, fetus-esque, into something resembling fact. His attempts failed. On March 15th, it was reported that Cardi was expected to have her baby in July.
Meanwhile, many still wondered if Offset was expecting a child of his own, as Celina Powell continued to pull strings from the background. Yet Cardi maintained her husband’s innocence, at least to an extent: on March 29th, the rapper dropped off her third Invasion Of Privacy single “Be Careful,” which many read as a pointed warning to Offset. “But that's not my M.O., I'm not that type of bitch,” raps Cardi, in verse one’s closing statement. “And karma for you is gon' be who you end up with.” Consider that “Karma” was the name of Offset’s alleged love child, as handpicked by the notorious Powell herself.
ALL GOOD THINGS...
As summer turned to fall, it would appear that both parties found themselves dealing with a fair share of legal drama. Offset found himself arrested for a reported “gun possession charge” not long after Kulture was born. Cardi got caught up in a strip club brawl, that has still come to haunt her to this day. On August 12th, Offset joined Quavo, Takeoff, and Drake to embark upon the extensive “Aubrey & The Three Amigos” tour; the massive fifty-four date extravaganza stretched across several months, coming to an end on November 18th. During that time period, the narrative surrounding the couple was notably absent, replaced instead by an increasingly bitter feud between Cardi and Nicki Minaj.
On September 20th, however, Cardi took a moment to reflect on the anniversary of her bedroom marriage with Offset. A few weeks later, Offset took aim at Joe Budden for seemingly talking smack about Cardi on his podcast (Joe was, in fact, attempting to give her advice). Clearly, a sense of mutual admiration and respect still existed between the pair. Case in point, Cardi brought things to an X-rated place as recently as November 26th, when she teased Offset’s upcoming release date.
Today, however, it would appear the union has come to an end. Cardi B took to Instagram to explain that the couple had indeed split up, though intended to remain friends and co-parents to their daughter. She addressed the breakup via Instagram, sharing the following message:
"So everybody been bugging me and everything. I been tryna work things out with my baby father for a hot minute now. And we're really good friends, and you know, we're really good business partners. He's always somebody that, I run to, to talk to and we got a lot of love for each other. But things just haven't been working out between us for a long time, and it's nobody's fault. I guess we just grew out of love. But, we're not together anymore. I don't know, it might take time to get a divorce, and I'm always gonna have a lot of love for him because he is my daughter's father... and yeah."
Many fans immediately lamented the end of one of hip-hop’s young power couples. Yet the dissolved union raised several questions. Why was Offset’s lone comment on the matter “ya’ll won”? Of course, rumors of Offset’s adultery once again reared their ugly head; this time, a narrative involving Cuban Doll and a sloppily planned “threesome” seemed to be the catalyst. Remember, Cardi did proclaim that any further transgressions would lead to one heavy consequence: the loss of a wife. Is it safe to call her a woman of her word? Only the coming revelations will tell.