It was a big weekend for New York-born hip-hop artist Cardi B. She got engaged, and she received a Spirit of Detroit award from the Detroit City Council.

Both events were a surprise — and only one was controversial. After questions swirled about who was behind the award and whether Cardi B deserved it, City Council President Brenda Jones said Monday afternoon that she issued the award at the request of a local radio station.

"Radio One, 107.5 FM, requested the Spirit of Detroit Award for Cardi B. She was honored for her outstanding achievement as the current, top female rapper on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart," Jones' office said in a statement to the Free Press.

Jones' office noted that the award, as described on the city's website, "can be requested from any Council Member for a person, event or organization being honored for an outstanding achievement or service to the citizens of Detroit."

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Still, extending the honor to Cardi B raised some eyebrows. Another council member, Mary Sheffield, even took to social media to proclaim that she wasn't behind it.

Cardi B thanked Hot 107.5 FM on Instagram "for making it happen." Kamal Smith, producer for the station's Morning Heat, said the radio station presented the award, and he doesn't know who may have nominated her, or which City Council member was involved.

"We're actually excited that she got it," he said, adding previous recipients such as Xscape, Dru Hill and Bow Wow show that you don't have to be from Detroit to receive it.

He also said Cardi B "is doing a lot for the city that the public may not know," and that she's "actually helping schools." Not every celebrity does good things to take credit in public, he added: "You do it out of the kindness of your heart."

This morning's radio show took calls from listeners on the controversy of whether she deserved it, and Smith said the mix was about 50/50, with some people "a little upset" but others weren't worried about it.

The verified Twitter account for Detroit-born hip-hop artist Kash Doll, who previously received the award, tweeted that she "just thought u had to put work in the city to get it like other artist in Detroit."

Past Spirit of Detroit recipients include James Robertson, the commuter who garnered international recognition after the Free Press shared his story of walking 21 miles to and from work. And southwest Detroit's Harms Elementary students received the award this spring for the "outstanding and noteworthy accomplishment for being one of the top schools for attendance in Detroit Public Schools Community District on Count Day," according to the Southwest Solutions website.

Jones' office noted that people from various industries and all walks of life, and not just those who live locally, have received the award.

"As long as the requester meets the criteria posted on the City of Detroit’s website for a Spirit of Detroit Award, the awards are typically granted," the statement said. "Please note: each Council Member honors the request at their own discretion."

Cardi B performed Saturday at the Masonic Temple. She appears to have received the award a day after Offset, another musician, proposed to her at concert in Philadelphia.

Cardi B's hit "Bodak Yellow (Money Moves)" is No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after peaking at No. 1 and spending 16 weeks on the chart.

"Cardi B is huge to every audience right now," Smith said. "She's definitely big in the Detroit market."

Councilwoman Mary Sheffield posted Sunday on Facebook that her office wasn't behind the award.

"My office did NOT present Cardi B with a Spirit of Detroit Award last night at the masonic temple," she wrote. "This is no disrespect to her, I just want to be clear. Every artist that I have given an award to has worked with me personally to uplift and empower our youth in the city of Detroit."

Jones' office noted that anyone who wants to honor someone with a City of Detroit Spirit of Detroit Award can submit a request at 313-224-1425 or www.detroitmi.gov.

Contact Robert Allen on Twitter @rallenMI or rallen@freepress.com.