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Cardi B‘s past life as a stripper is no secret. The Bronx rapper has been open about her occupation before becoming a rap superstar, turning to performing at 19 after being fired from a grocery store in Tribeca, New York City. The job helped her earn enough money to afford an education while helping her escape an abusive relationship.

Her experience in strip clubs also led to her enjoyment outside of work. Although Cardi was with Offset for most of her adult life, she’s found time to date before and after their relationship. She once revealed that her ideal first date involved adult entertainment venues.

“I like to go to the strip club on a first date, you know why?” she told Crack Magazine. “Because, I know if the guy is cheap or not, me and him can judge the women, I’ll know what type of women he likes and who to watch out for. Also it’s like, when I eat in front of men for the first time, I feel so uncomfortable.

“After the strip club, if we have a couple of drinks, and if I feel like I want to go home with him, I’ll go home with him. Yeah, just go to the strip club. It’s real calm, it’s real cool, it’s not a party so you can’t get ballistically drunk, or dance sweaty, you’re just sitting down looking at dancers.”

Cardi B has admitted she isn’t ashamed of her prior job. Being a stripper gave her cash and life experience, providing her with the motivation she’s channelled into a successful music career, positioning her as one of hip-hop’s most successful women in history.

“Would people feel some type of way if I was a cashier-turned-rapper?” she told The Guardian. “People want me to be so full of shame that I used to dance. I would never be ashamed of it. I made a lot of money, I had a good time and it showed me a lot — it made me open my eyes about how people are, how men are, about hunger and passion and ambition.”

However, Cardi has received some controversy regarding her actions as a stripper. A video once surfaced of her revealing she used to drug and rob men after inviting them to hotels.

Attempting to explain herself afterwards, she said, “Whether or not they were poor choices at the time, I did what I had to do to survive. I never claimed to be perfect or come from a perfect world. I’m a part of a hip-hop culture where you can talk about where you come from, talk about the wrong things you had to do to get where you are.

“I never glorified the things I brought up in that [Instagram] Live. I never even put those things in my music because I’m not proud of it and feel a responsibility not to glorify it. I made the choices that I did at the time because I had very limited options.”