Cardi B revealed that she was the victim of discrimination from New York strip clubs because her appearance was not “Latin” enough.
The Bodak Yellow rapper has experienced discrimination in strip clubs because she was a stripper until her rapping career took off after her appearance on the VH1 show Love and Hip Hop.
Strip club discrimination has been in the headlines recently because rapper Joe Budden said that strip clubs in New York only hire one type of girl.
Cardi said that strip clubs did not let her dance on Latin night because of her appearance and backed Budden’s claims.
Cardi B was the victim of strip club discrimination
Joe Budden recently complained on an Instagram Story that New York strip clubs hire the same girl. He said that the archetype for the ideal stripper beauty does not include black women but believed the discrimination costs the venues business and potential paying customers.
Bronx native Cardi B verified his claims and shared stories of her own from her stripping days. Cardi, born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, is of Dominican ancestry but said rappers did not think she looked Hispanic enough, especially for “Latin night.”
Cardi’s former co-worker, K Goddess, worked in the strip club with Cardi and agreed with the rapper.
She wrote about her experiences in the comments section of a gossip Instagram, “When she had her braids working in Lust W/ her teeth, her demeanor, & she 99% of the time had a Tan she was a hard worker she DID NOT LOOK “Spanish” yall forgettin how Cardi use to look / talk? Especially when Tatted as well. They put her in the “Blacc” category with us! Cus someone level up don’t forget where they came from SHES definitely tellin the truth. & this happens ALOT in the strip clubs especially in NYC.”
Cardi B responded to the comment and said, “girl don’t even argue people only wants to comprehend when it’s convenient.Only way they will comprehend if is they actually come here to a NY club.”
Cardi continued, “You can be fresh off the boat if you don’t fit in the “Hispanic box” that these club promoters think is desirable you can’t work certain night or have certain job positions.It’s beyond braids as well( I should of worded that correctly).It’s crazy how people on the internet will try to tell you about your own experiences even if it’s coming from 2 people who worked at these clubs !!”
Cardi B talks about her stripper past
Cardi has been vocal about her stripping past. She started becoming popular on Instagram and Vine when she was still a stripper, posting funny stories and rants. Cardi then appeared on Love and Hip Hop: New York, where she was also open about stripping.
Cardi said that stripping was a lot of work, and she does not recommend clothes follow in her footsteps. She shared, “I don’t feel like anyone should follow what I did. I don’t feel like you should be walking around thinking, “Yeah, I want to be a dancer.” But I’ll say this: always have a goal, always have a second plan. Because in every field, whether it’s dancing or something else, you gotta work hard for it.”
Cardi B currently stars in Cardi Tries, which is an online series by Facebook Messenger.