Cardi B's right-hand woman is a single mother and entrepreneur from Wilmington
Delaware is no stranger to powerful women, and one of Wilmington’s finest has been building her empire at a breakneck pace.
Patientce Foster is a 29-year-old Concord High School graduate, entrepreneur, single mother and personal publicist to rapper Cardi B. Last time we spoke to Foster, Cardi B was fresh off her reality TV success on “Love & Hip Hop: New York” and was building her social media presence. Cardi, Foster and the team were just looking to break into the music industry.
Cardi B had just released their first single, “Bodak Yellow,” which went on to be her first number one record. Only a year-and-a-half later, Cardi B is a worldwide superstar. Just this summer she's made headlines repeatedly. When the MTV VMA award nominations were announced in July, she walked away with 10 nods — more than Beyonce and Jay-Z. She also recently announced that she and Offset, of Migos, had gotten married; the hottest couple in hip-hop just welcomed their first child, Kulture, into the world.
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And her right-hand woman Foster is no stranger to hard work; she’s been at it since her first job at Hertz rental cars.
But since Cardi’s meteoric rise to fame, those responsible for her success are getting the attention they deserve and Foster has been a direct focus. A New York Times piece on a day in the life of Cardi B has Foster by her side most of the day, and Time magazine featured Foster and her growing reputation.
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Now Foster has shifted her focus to growing her public relations company, The Cream Agency. Foster’s company has six employees and a range of clients in the entertainment and corporate worlds, like Swisher Sweets and Fashionnova.
But don’t get it twisted. Despite her busy life and newfound success, Foster is a mother first and is still running her first business, Vixated Salon in the heart of downtown Wilmington. That business is what gave Foster the opportunity to be Cardi’s stylist, which grew into public relations work.
Now Foster has begun to shift focus to building on her success and creating opportunities to others in her home state.
“You can’t build Rome in a day, and neither did Patientce,” Cardi B said via a text through her publicist. “She knew it would take a lot to reach the places she wanted us to go, she worked hard, every day, every night, no matter what it took, no matter how many days or how many times we failed, she had patience. She had a plan and she knew it would come — and it would come better then than what she’d expect!”
We caught up with Foster to talk about growing her company, how her relationship with Cardi has changed and what life is like on the road with an international superstar.
Question: So let’s give our new readers a little background information. When and how did you open your first business?
Foster: I opened Vixated Salon in 2013, and at the time I was looking for the next challenge in my life. I had $3,500 left over from my tax money and found out there was a space for rent on the north side of Wilmington for only $600 a month. I met with the landlord as soon as I could and gave him the first month and security deposit right away. Since then we have a new location and continue to expand our clientele. If it wasn’t for Vixated, Cream PR wouldn’t be here today.
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Q: What has your relationship with Cardi B been like?
Foster: I and Cardi have grown so close in the year we have worked together. She’s become like an aunt to my son and will pay for him to fly out with me sometimes and stay so I can have more time with him. Cardi is all about how she vibes with a person and we both spend a lot of time with each others’ families, so we have become good friends as well as great business partners. Her husband, Offset, is now my client as well so it’s a family affair!
Q: Since the last time we spoke, Cardi’s career has gone global. How has your bond and business relationship stayed close through all the changes?
Foster: I think what keeps our bond strong is the fact that our relationship was built on trust from the beginning. Our relationship was never built on money it was solely built on trust and the fact that she had a social media following and I knew a little bit about public relations work. We trust each other to deliver on what we promise to do.
Q: What is the key to keeping a good personal and business relationship?
Foster: One thing I make sure I never do is confuse our personal and our business relationship. Even though she is like my best friend I have never gotten comfortable. It’s easy for some people to have too much fun and laugh a little too much and forget that these people are still your business clients. Just because we have a personal relationship doesn’t mean Cardi expects any less of me, if anything it makes me want to make sure I go harder so we can continue to win together. I think Cardi knows that I don’t take this for granted and she appreciates that.
Q: What are some of the fun and exciting things you’ve gotten to do since your newfound success?
Foster: The most exciting moment was going number one for “Bodak Yellow” because it was so historical and emotional considering we came from nothing. Also, I would have to say that the Grammy Awards was an amazing moment, just getting to work with Bruno Mars and his team and see how another superstar rehearses. Also, Madonna always throws a big Oscars party and has never had a performer but this year she requested Cardi B! Just partying with Madonna was a dream in itself.
Q: What are some of the tough parts of the music industry that you had to overcome?
Foster: The industry itself is very cut-throat and there’s no regard for slacking at all. Sometimes in the entertainment industry giving 400 percent is not even enough. All of it can be tough as a woman in the industry because there’s a lot of politics, and even though it’s changing it is still a male-dominated industry. So learning to navigate through that can be challenging at times. But, as the boss woman that I am, I have to learn to assert myself and know my worth.
Q: What is in the future for The Cream Agency and your career in general?
Foster: My goal is to keep learning and expanding my craft. I can’t take these opportunities for granted so there’s no time to slow down. Not only am I just Cardi’s PR, I am also her day-to-day manager, so I wear many different hats. I’ve been really learning a lot in these last few years from production to creative directing and a lot of other aspects of the entertainment industry. So my plan is to just grow and use everything that I’m learning to grow my empire.
FollowPatientce Foster on Instagram and Twitter at @Iam_KingPee
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