There is a moment, often replayed in interviews and profiles of Cardi B, where she speaks about her upbringing in the Bronx with a mix of humor and blunt honesty. She talks about family, culture, and the push-and-pull between discipline and independence that shaped her early life. Her father, rarely seen and even more rarely heard from, sits quietly behind those stories. His name — Carlos Alman, or more accurately Carlos Almánzar — surfaces again and again in search bars, yet the man himself remains largely out of public view.
This article pulls together everything currently known about Carlos Alman: his background, his career, his family, and the role he has played in shaping one of the most recognizable names in music today.
Who Is Carlos Alman?
Carlos Alman is best known as the father of Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B, born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar. He is a retired New York City taxi driver of Dominican descent, and unlike his famous daughter, he has never sought a public profile. Most of what is known about him has surfaced only because fans and journalists have gone looking, prompted by Cardi B’s own occasional, affectionate mentions of him in interviews and on social media.
Also Read: Brooke Daniells: Photographer, Entrepreneur, and Catherine Bell’s Longtime Partner
He is sometimes credited under fuller versions of his name, including Carlos Almánzar and, in a few sources, Carlos Alberto Almánzar Marsan — variations that reflect how loosely documented his personal life really is.
Early Life and Dominican Roots
Carlos Alman was born on March 19, 1958, in the Dominican Republic. Like many of his generation, he grew up in a close-knit Caribbean household where family loyalty and hard work were treated as non-negotiable values. Reports suggest he moved to the United States — settling in the Bronx, New York — around 1990, joining the wave of Dominican immigrants who reshaped the borough’s culture in the late twentieth century.
That Dominican identity didn’t stay behind him. Cardi B has spoken publicly and proudly about her Dominican heritage throughout her career, and much of that pride traces directly back to her father’s side of the family.
Career: Life Behind the Wheel
Professionally, Carlos Alman is described consistently across available reporting as a taxi driver, now retired after years of working the streets of New York City. It’s a detail that might seem minor next to his daughter’s Billboard chart-topping career, but it’s central to how Cardi B describes her upbringing — a household built on steady, unglamorous labor rather than privilege.
Driving a cab in New York for decades means long, unpredictable hours and constant exposure to the city’s grind. That kind of work is often pointed to as a quiet source of the discipline and hustle Cardi B has referenced in describing her own work ethic.
Family Life: Marriage, Divorce, and Children
Carlos Alman married Clara Almánzar (sometimes listed as Clara Mercedes Almánzar), a woman of Trinidadian descent. Together they had two daughters:
- Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, known worldwide as Cardi B
- Hennessy Carolina, Cardi B’s younger sister, now known in her own right as a social media personality and reality TV figure
Carlos and Clara’s household reflected a blend of Dominican and Trinidadian culture, something Cardi B has referenced when discussing her multicultural identity. The couple eventually separated, with most sources placing their divorce around 2005.
Beyond his two daughters with Clara, several profiles report that Carlos has additional children from an earlier relationship or marriage — commonly cited as six — though the specifics (including names like Maciel Almánzar, Nicauly Villalona, and Fernando Almánzar) are not consistently verified across reliable sources and should be treated with some caution.
Following the divorce, Clara took on a more visible day-to-day role in raising Cardi B and Hennessy, while Carlos reportedly remained connected to the family in a lower-profile capacity.
Carlos Alman’s Relationship With Cardi B
Cardi B has never framed her relationship with her father as distant or difficult. If anything, her public comments lean warm. She has referred to him as her “personality twin” and shared affectionate Father’s Day tributes, at one point writing publicly about how much she loves and appreciates him. Photos of the two together — including at events like the release party for her Gold album at the Moxy Hotel in New York — show a relationship that, while not constantly in the spotlight, is clearly present.
There’s no strong public record of major conflict between Cardi B and her father, which stands out in an industry where family drama often becomes public fodder. Instead, the picture that emerges is one of quiet support: a father who shaped his daughter’s resilience and work ethic without ever trying to share her spotlight.
Why People Keep Searching for Carlos Alman
It’s a fair question: why does a retired taxi driver with no social media presence and no public career generate so much search interest? The answer has less to do with Carlos Alman as an individual and more to do with what he represents. He’s a stand-in for a familiar story — the immigrant parent whose unglamorous, behind-the-scenes labor quietly funds a child’s eventual success. For millions of fans curious about how Cardi B became who she is, understanding her father is part of understanding her origin story.
He also represents a rarer kind of celebrity relative: one who has actively chosen privacy in an era when nearly everyone connected to fame tries to monetize the attention. That restraint, ironically, is part of what keeps people curious.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Carlos Alman?
He was born on March 19, 1958, making him 67 years old as of 2025.
What is Carlos Alman’s nationality?
He is Dominican-American, born in the Dominican Republic and later based in the Bronx, New York.
What did Carlos Alman do for a living?
He worked as a taxi driver in New York City and is now retired.
Is Carlos Alman married?
He was previously married to Clara Almánzar; the two divorced around 2005. He does not appear to be publicly known to have remarried.
How many children does Carlos Alman have?
He has two daughters with Clara Almánzar — Cardi B and Hennessy Carolina — and is widely reported, though not fully verified, to have several more children from an earlier relationship.
Final Thoughts
Carlos Alman’s story isn’t one of fame, scandal, or reinvention. It’s a story about steady work, quiet parenting, and the kind of behind-the-scenes influence that rarely makes headlines on its own — until a daughter becomes famous enough that the whole world starts asking who raised her. For Cardi B, the answer includes a Dominican immigrant who spent decades driving a cab through New York City, largely unnoticed, until his daughter’s success pulled his name into the light he never asked for.
