Meet Carlos Alman, the Dominican father of Cardi B who traded island sunshine for New York City streets to chase the American dream. This quiet Bronx immigrant parent spent three decades as a former taxi driver, raising eight children on endless hustle and unbreakable love. While the world screams Cardi’s name, Carlos Alman stays in the shadows, choosing a private lifestyle over fame.
His Dominican Republic heritage flavors everything – from the merengue in their home to the strong work ethic that built a superstar. Today, at 67, this **5’11” Pisces with salt-and-pepper hair and warm dark brown eyes enjoys retirement the way he lived life: simple, proud, and surrounded by family. This is the real story of the man Cardi calls “my hero.”
Quick Bio of Carlos Alman
Here’s everything you need to know about Carlos Alman at a glance:
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Carlos Alman |
| Date of Birth | March 19, 1958 |
| Age (2025) | 67 years old |
| Birthplace | Dominican Republic |
| Height | 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm) |
| Weight | 65 kg (143 lbs) |
| Hair & Eyes | Black hair (now salt-and-pepper), dark brown eyes |
| Nationality | Dominican-American |
| Profession | Former taxi driver (retired) |
| Years Active as Driver | Almost 30 years |
| Children | Eight children |
| Famous Daughters | Cardi B (Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar), Hennessy Carolina Almánzar |
| Ex-Wife | Clara Almánzar (Trinidadian) |
| Zodiac Sign | Pisces |
| Personality Style | Private lifestyle father, humble, funny |
| Current Home | Quiet neighborhood in New York |
| Net Worth Estimate | $300,000 – $600,000 (modest) |
That table tells you the facts, but the real story lives in the paragraphs below.
Early Life in the Dominican Republic
Picture a little boy running through sugar-cane fields with bare feet and a huge smile. That boy was Carlos Alman, born in 1958 in a small town in the Dominican Republic. Money was always tight, electricity came and went, but joy never left the house. His mother taught him that Caribbean family values matter more than cash – you share your last plate of rice and beans, you dance at funerals, you protect family with your life.
School ended early for Carlos because hands were needed at home and in the streets. He sold fruits, shined shoes, and learned the art of hustle before he was ten. Merengue and bachata played from every corner, and Sunday church was followed by huge family cookouts. Those smells – sancocho, tostones, mangú – became the soundtrack of his soul. Even now, when Carlos Alman closes his eyes, he’s right back on that hot island with his cousins, dreaming of something bigger. That Dominican Republic heritage never faded, no matter how many New York winters he survived.
Migration to the United States & Life as an Immigrant
One day in the early 1990s, Carlos Alman kissed his mother goodbye, promised to send money, and boarded a plane to the United States-bound. He landed at JFK with one suitcase, $200, and zero English. The cold slapped him harder than any Caribbean sun ever could. Welcome to The Bronx, where Dominican immigrants packed apartments and worked three jobs just to breathe.
The first years were brutal. He slept on floors, sent every penny home, and practiced English with passengers while driving borrowed cars. Racism showed its face, doors slammed, rent climbed, but Carlos never complained. He became the definition of NYC hardworking immigrant – the guy who smiled at 4 a.m. while cleaning his cab, ready for another 16-hour shift. That immigrant dream in America wasn’t pretty, but it was his, and he protected it like a lion.
Career Journey in New York City
For almost thirty years, the yellow cab was Carlos Alman’s office, classroom, and second home. Rain, snow, traffic, drunks, tourists – he saw it all. Some nights he made $40 after twelve hours, other nights $300 when luck smiled. Tips paid for school supplies, rent, Christmas toys. He learned every shortcut in the five boroughs and every type of person in the backseat.
Passengers told him their secrets; he gave quiet advice in broken-then-better English. That taxi driver immigrant story became a family legend. Cardi B still says the smell of a New York cab takes her straight back to childhood, riding shotgun while dad counted singles at red lights. When he finally hung up the keys, the city lost a gentleman and his kids gained a full-time hero.
Age, Height & Physical Appearance
At 67, Carlos Alman still turns heads without trying. Standing 5’11” tall with perfect posture, he moves like a man twenty years younger. His once-jet-black hair now shines silver at the temples now, giving him that wise tío look every Dominican family loves. Those dark brown eyes crinkle exactly like Cardi’s when he laughs – and he laughs a lot.
He keeps his weight steady at 65 kg by eating clean island food and walking everywhere. You’ll never catch him in designer clothes; give him crisp jeans, a plain T-shirt, and clean sneakers and he’s ready for anything – from grandkid birthdays to courtside seats at Madison Square Garden when Cardi surprises him with tickets.
Personal Life, Marriage & Relationships
Love hit Carlos Alman twice. His first marriage in the Dominican Republic gave him six children and lifelong lessons about commitment. When he moved to America, he met Clara Almánzar, a fierce Trinidadian cashier with a smile that stopped traffic. They married fast, blended cultures, and created a loud, colorful multicultural household where Trinidadian roti sat next to Dominican sancocho on the same table.
Cardi B arrived in 1992, Hennessy Carolina Almánzar in 1995, and love overflowed. The marriage ended around 2005, but the respect never did. Divorce and co-parenting looked easy because both parents put the kids first. Today Carlos and Clara can sit at the same Thanksgiving table laughing like old friends – proof that real love changes shape but doesn’t disappear.
Carlos Alman’s Children
Eight kids, eight different personalities, one unbreakable bond. Here’s the complete family tree:
- Cardi B (Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar) – the queen we all know
- Hennessy Carolina Almánzar – fashion killer and social media royalty
- Maciel Almanzar – the quiet chef who makes the best pasteles
- Nicauly Villalona – the cousin-keeper and island connector
- Fernando Almanzar – the protective big brother everyone calls for help
- Three other siblings who choose total privacy but show up for every family reunion
Every single one carries the same Dominican-American background and the same lesson: family over everything.
Father-Daughter Bond with Cardi B
The Cardi B father relationship is pure magic. She still calls him “Papi” on live, still gets shy playing new songs for him, still cries when he tells her he’s proud. He flew to every major award show just to sit in the back and clap loudest. When Cardi bought her parents’ houses, Carlos picked the smallest one because “I don’t need all that space – just a yard for the grandkids.”
Cardi once posted: “My daddy never had much but he gave us EVERYTHING. That’s real rich.”
Parenting Style, Discipline & Family Values
Carlos Alman parented old-school Dominican style: love loud, rules louder. Chores before cartoons, homework before friends, manners or meet the belt (though he preferred long talks on the fire escape). Sunday dinner was sacred – no phones, no excuses, eight kids around one table telling stories in two languages.
He taught them hard work and sacrifice by living it every day. Money was tight, but pride was rich. Sneakers had holes? Duct tape and keep moving. That strict but loving father energy built unbreakable humans.
Cultural Influence & Dominican Heritage
Walk into the Alman house and you’re instantly in the Caribbean region. Merengue at breakfast, bachata at night, Spanish flying faster than English. Carlos Alman refused to let America erase their roots. Every summer he packed the kids on a plane back to the Dominican Republic so they’d know the smell of sea air and abuela’s kitchen.
That Dominican culture influence lives in Cardi’s Spanglish flow, Hennessy’s carnival costumes, and every family party that lasts until sunrise. Roots weren’t optional – they were oxygen.
Carlos Alman’s Impact on Cardi B’s Music & Identity
Every bar Cardi spits has Carlos Alman’s fingerprints. “Bodak Yellow” hustle? That’s dad coming home with $47 after twelve hours and still smiling. “Be Careful” pain? That’s watching an immigrant father break his back for people who didn’t always see him. Her whole Afro-Latina pride movement started with Carlos pointing at the mirror saying, “You’re Black, you’re Latina, you’re powerful – never shrink.”
Without that quiet influence behind superstar, there’s no Cardi B we know today.
Life After Retirement & Preference for Privacy
Retirement looks peaceful on Carlos Alman. He wakes up late, tends his little garden with peppers and cilantro, plays dominoes with old cab friends, and spoils fourteen grandchildren. Paparazzi can’t find him because he never wanted to be found. He turned down million-dollar interviews with a simple “My life is good. Leave me alone.”
This private lifestyle father finally gets to enjoy the fruit he planted decades ago – peace, family, respect.
Personal Traits, Strengths & Challenges
Ask anyone who knows him and they say the same three things: Carlos is funny, loyal, and stubborn as concrete. He’ll give you the shirt off his back, then lecture you for an hour about saving money. His biggest strength is calm under fire – thirty years of NYC traffic prepared him for anything. His biggest challenge? Letting his kids go when fame called. But he learned, because love always wins.
Net Worth, Financial Life & Public Image
Carlos Alman never chased money, so money never defined him. Best estimates place his modest net worth between $300,000 and $600,000 – earned cent by cent in that taxi. Cardi offered mansions and Lamborghinis; he asked for a three-bedroom with a backyard instead. That’s working-class father life at its finest.
His public image? The dad every celebrity wishes they had – humble, happy, and completely unbothered by cameras.
FAQs About Carlos Alman – Cardi B’s Father
1. Who is Carlos Alman?
Carlos Alman is Cardi B’s father, a retired Dominican-American former taxi driver who raised eight kids in The Bronx.
2. How old is Carlos Alman in 2025?
He is 67 years old, born March 19, 1958.
3. Where is Carlos Alman from?
He was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to New York** in the 1990s.
4. What did Carlos Alman do for a living?
He worked as a New York City taxi driver for almost 30 years.
5. How tall is Cardi B’s dad?
Carlos Alman stands 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm) tall.
6. How many children does Carlos Alman have?
He has eight children, including Cardi B and Hennessy Carolina.
7. Is Carlos Alman on social media?
No, he keeps a completely private lifestyle with zero public accounts.
8. What is Carlos Alman’s net worth?
His modest net worth is estimated between $300,000 and $600,000.
Hello, I’m Sami, a professional content writer at GlowCeleb, specializing in celebrity news, lifestyle, business, tech, and entertainment. I create well-researched, SEO-friendly articles that keep readers informed and engaged. My goal is to deliver reliable, trending, and high-quality content that reflects GlowCeleb’s commitment to excellence.