An A-list music icon stunned fans this week after being spotted on a low-key grocery run in New York City — looking almost unrecognizable from her usual red-carpet glamour.
The Grammy-winning artist, who has previously been candid about removing silicone butt injections, confidently displayed her famous curves while shopping at Whole Foods. Dressed casually in a tan cropped hoodie and black leggings, the mother of three kept things effortless, wearing her blonde hair loose and skipping makeup entirely.
The laid-back outing came just hours after she made a splash at fashion’s biggest night, leaving fans doing a double take.
So, who was it?
It was Cardi B.
The WAP rapper, 32, slipped seamlessly into the city crowds as she picked up groceries shortly after dazzling at the Met Gala, where she stunned in a vibrant emerald Burberry suit designed by Daniel Lee.
Cardi — whose real name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar — has been open about her past cosmetic procedures, including illegal $800 butt injections she received in a Queens basement in 2014. Over the years, she’s spoken publicly about the painful process of having them removed and the health risks involved.
In January 2024, the rapper revealed she underwent additional procedures to remove remaining injections and fibrosis — unaware at the time that she was pregnant with her third child.
“Right after I shot the ‘Like What’ video, I went and got surgery,” Cardi told fans during an Instagram Live in October 2024. Despite taking multiple pregnancy and blood tests beforehand, all of which came back negative, she later learned she was already 17 weeks along.
“I got more butt injections removed because it takes rounds,” she explained. “And I also fixed certain things related to my fibrosis.”
Back in December 2022, Cardi shared that she had already removed around 95 percent of the silicone and expressed regret over the illegal procedure, which she once described to GQ as “the craziest pain ever.”
She has since urged younger women to avoid BBL surgeries altogether, speaking openly about the risks and long-term consequences.
Cardi said she first suspected her pregnancy after waking up with a metallic taste in her mouth — a symptom she recognized from previous pregnancies — even though medical tests initially suggested otherwise. When her OB-GYN confirmed how far along she was, she was stunned.
At the time, she revealed she had only been intimate once that year with her estranged husband Offset — on Valentine’s Day — making the pregnancy feel especially unexpected.
Despite the shock, seeing the ultrasound quickly shifted her emotions.
“When I saw it was a full baby — 10 fingers, 10 toes — I got really emotional right away,” she said.
Cardi welcomed her baby girl on September 12, though she has yet to publicly share her daughter’s name.
The birth comes amid her ongoing split and divorce proceedings from Offset, 33, whom she married in 2017. The former couple share two other children: daughter Kulture, six, and son Wave, three.
From Met Gala glamour to grocery-store chic, Cardi B continues to command attention — proving that whether dressed to the nines or keeping it casual, she’s always unapologetically herself.
