AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER
CARDI B has as many layers as an onion.
She does not come off as someone who struggles with self-confidence judging by her large personality, daring fashion looks or her risqué covers, but she told Mariah Carey that it was a big factor in her going under the knife.
The New York rapper sat down with the R&B queen of confidence Carey for her cover story in Interview magazine, speaking about her journey to superstardom, the insecurities that she faced growing up in the Bronx and
“I’m Trini and I’m Dominican, and there’s a lot of Dominicans that look a certain type of way. They have soft, pretty, curly hair,” Cardi explained.
“Growing up, guys would ask me weird questions like, ‘If you’re Dominican, why is your hair so nappy?’ I used to dye my hair, and people used to be like, ‘Oh, your hair’s so crunchy.’ And it would make me feel so weird.”
It didn’t help that she was ‘really skinny’,” the rapper added. “In the Bronx, it’s about being thick and having an ass, so young boys would be like, ‘Look at your flat ass. You ain’t got no titties.’ And it would make me feel so ugly and undeveloped.”
Born Belcalis Almánzar to Trinidadian and Dominican parents, Cardi B was a stripper by the age of 18, became a reality star that pushed her career into the spotlight, and by 23 was winning a Grammy award, broken five Guinness World Records and had a sit down with future president Joe Biden.
With everything that Cardi B has accomplished in her quick rise to the top, she never forgot that what pushed her to be better and become a successful artist was her motivation to get out of the situation that got her into being a stripper to earn money.
“I went to a high school for performing arts. I used to sing, I used to rap, I used to act, all that shit. Once I started having troubles at home and got kicked out, I saw everything I did in high school as a silly dream. It wasn’t reality anymore”, she told Carey.
“So when I started stripping, after a while, I just wanted to make $20,000. “If I make $20,000,” I thought, “I’ll open a fucking business and I won’t have to strip anymore.”
When Cardi was earning money at the strip club, the last thing on Cardi’s mind was becoming a rapper, her new career journey only changed when her manager realised that the New York native had a penchant for rapping bars in remixed songs. So when he had suggested she head into the studio and release a mixtape, Cardi was not even considering the idea.
“Bro, I don’t want to waste my time. I just want to make f—g money”, she said. He kept telling me, “You need to think bigger.” And that’s exactly what we did. We went to the studio, I did a song called “Stripper H–e,” and after a while, my goals started changing. Not only did I want to make money, but I wanted to be on the radio. In the strip club, I didn’t want people to just clap for me. I wanted them to sing my s–t.”
Many would agree that Cardi listening to her manager was the best decision made. Since the release of her first mixtape, she has gone on to perform on award shows, gain awards, break records and amass a large fanbase who enjoy the rapper’s personality both on social media and in her music.
Fans are eagerly awaiting her forthcoming album after the release of her latest singles ‘WAP’ featuring Megan Thee Stallion, and ‘Up’,but the rapper insists to Mariah Carey that she isn’t 100% comfortable with releasing the album so soon just because of the demand from the public.
“Everybody’s rushing me to put it out, but I don’t know if it’s the right time”, Cardi said. “People always have crazy expectations, especially when it comes to female rap. It’s not like it’s a competition, but people are always comparing and comparing and comparing.”
“It’s almost like they want to see you fail. I hate the feeling when I don’t do something really good. So I want my shit to be good because my last album did so well, and if this one doesn’t do well, I’m going to feel really sad.”
