American rapper and actress Cardi B (Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar) has reacted with praise after stumbling upon photos of Nairobi matatus decorated with images of her.
“Wow. I love ya sooo much,” she writes on Twitter in reaction to tags by a group called Clebs Love Cardi. “America is boring they need buses like this.”
The tags bore pictures of several Nairobi ‘Manyangas’ with interior and exterior graffiti of Cardi in her element – long fingernails, pouted lips, deep mascara.
Cardi B’s path for fame started in 2015 when she appeared in reality TV series Love and Hip Hop. She turned the massive internet fan base into a launch pad for a singing/rapping career.
So far, she has released one studio album, two solo mixtapes, 35 singles (including 20 as a featured artist) and 17 music videos. She has in the past won four awards in the BET Awards.
Kenyan matatus exemplify a street culture that worships celebrities in the various realms- music, politics, film, and sports.
