In 2018, I was a wide-eyed editor, fresh off my rookie year at Billboard. I had never experienced Power Players before, and I’ll never forget the excitement of that first event. J. Cole was on the cover, a story I always dreamed of telling but wasn’t ready for yet. As I was leaving, I spotted Cardi B heading out. She had just lit the game on fire with Invasion of Privacy. Nervous but hyped, I ran up and asked for a photo. She said yes, then spent another 20 minutes hanging with random fans outside. In 2020, during the chaos of Covid, I got the call to interview her for our Women in Music cover. It was only my second cover story, and Cardi was already in superstar mode, racking up No. 1s with “WAP” and “Up,” fresh off a Grammy win. I interviewed her over Zoom on my dad’s birthday, almost a year after he passed. The emotions were heavy, and the story wasn’t easy to piece together. But with the help of my editors, we got it done. Fast forward to July 2025. I’m in a new role at Billboard...