Rapper and former stripper Cardi B made an appearance on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” on Monday, sharing her thoughts on the current state of the stripping profession and how she believes dancers have become “lazy.”
Cardi B, known for her roles as an actress and a former reality TV star on VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop: New York,” covered a range of topics during her debut appearance on Cohen’s show. Given her early career as a stripper at the age of 19, a viewer named Katie P. emailed a question about how much Cardi B typically tips at strip clubs now that she’s famous.
“I overdo it,” Cardi B responded.
She then went on to elaborate on her perspective regarding today’s stripping scene, expressing, “What I don’t like is, I feel like back then strippers, like, danced a little harder. Like now, the girls won’t even climb the pole.”
Cohen inquired, “Are they lazy?”
“They’re lazy,” Cardi B affirmed. “They’re lazy, and I spend substantial amounts.”
For those unfamiliar with the term, “racks” typically represent around $1,000 in cash.
Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Almánzar-Cephus, has previously revealed that she turned to stripping to escape poverty and domestic violence, and to support herself through her education at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. She has since risen to prominence as one of the most influential female rappers in the industry, boasting five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a Grammy for Best Rap Album in 2019.
During her interview with Cohen, Cardi B also shared some personal details, such as owning over 30 Birkin bags and disclosing that her go-to Karaoke song is Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” even giving a brief rendition of it.
She mentioned that the most famous person to slide into her DMs has been tennis legend Serena Williams, noting, “she just gets me.”
When asked about Carole Baskin’s criticism of her use of big cats in her “WAP” music video, Cardi B responded, “I actually felt cool…she loves me.”
The rapper also admitted to feeling apprehensive about approaching some of her idols for collaboration on songs, explaining, “I wouldn’t want to send somebody that I would love to collaborate with a song, and then they would be like, ‘uhh, that’s not my vibe,’ and then my feelings would get hurt. I love you so much, I don’t want to hate you.”
As is customary when a celebrity appears on “Watch What Happens Live,” Cardi B shared her hypothetical opening tagline if she were a member of a Real Housewives cast: “The only thing I throw harder than mics is shade.”
