Few could have predicted that Cardi B would become a rap superstar, but director Lee Daniels definitely saw something in the Bronx-raised, Billboard Hot 100 chart mainstay. Thats a point he makes in a new TMZ interview where the Hollywood luminary hints that he was someone who helped discover the charismatic pop culture phenomenon.

Speaking on the subject of his hip-hop, Daniels lists Cardi as being his favorite artist. "Right today, it's Cardi B," he tells one of TMZ's reporters before noting an Instagram video he and Bardi appeared in nearly three years ago. Apparently Daniels was considering Offset's wife for a TV role when they first met up for an audition.

"I was looking for somebody for Star, and I said do you mind if I take a [picture]?," Daniels says. "This is before she got onto the [Love & Hip Hop]." From there, Daniels says Love & Hip Hop producer Mona Scott-Young actually hired Bardi after seeing her video with Daniels.

If you look through Daniels' IG for long enough, you'll eventually find the video he appears to be talking about. It's dated Oct. 28, 2015, and the first season of Love & Hip Hop: New York season six, which was Bardi's first time appearing on Love & Hip Hop, premiered that December. The timeline definitely adds up.

Since then, Bardi's obviously blown up a few times over. Her debut album, Invasion of Privacy, has earned near-universal acclaim, and recently, she became the first female rapper to earn two No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Wild.

Watch Daniels' interview about Bardi below. Peep his Instagram video with Bardi—which is one that finds the rapper saying she's about to "surprise everybody"—beneath that.

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