Cardi B Talks ‘Love & Hip Hop New York’ Fame, Ditching The Stripper Pole and Making Music

Cardi B is easily the breakout star in the last season of Love & Hip Hop New York. She’s back for Season 7, and this time around, it looks like Cardi has ditched the stripper pole as she tries to navigate this newfound celebrity status. As the newest season of LHHNY gears up, Cardi sat down for an interview with the New York Post where she talked about leaving her stripper past behind, embracing her new celebrity status and where she plans to go from here.

Cardi admits that when she was first approached by Love & Hip Hop New York producers, she was hesitant to put all her business on reality TV. It’s a good thing she decided to give the show a try because Cardi was easily one of the most popular cast members from the last season and one of the most highly anticipated to return for Season 7.

“The first time around I was a bit skeptical when approached to be on the show because I was working on my music. I did not really want to open up about my entire life on TV, but it was a big opportunity,” Cardi B said of her reality TV start. “I am very surprised about the feedback I was getting. I was just being myself.”

In the offseason, Cardi B has been working on her music. Those who follow Love & Hip Hop New York know that Cardi is an aspiring rapper with several singles out. When Season 6 was over, Cardi released her mixtape even though she was nervous to put the music out there.

“I was skeptical about recording and putting my mixtape out because what if people did not like it? I had low expectations so I was just going to be happy with making money off of YouTube videos,” Cardi said. “But a lot of people downloaded my music and I ended up doing a tour that was really successful. It is crazy that people are interested in me. I am just a girl from the Bronx.”

While Cardi B has given up stripping, she admitted that it wasn’t something she wanted to do. Instead, Cardi claims that her manager told her that she would have to quit because her name was getting way too big for her to be dancing on a pole. While Cardi admits that she was afraid to quit stripping because she feared that her career wouldn’t take off and she would end up coming right back to the club, it’s pretty safe to say that the Love & Hip Hop New York star is doing just fine without performing lap dances.

“People would make me cry when they told me all I was ever going to be was a stripper. I stopped dancing last year on my birthday, Oct. 11.”

Cardi made it clear at the end of Season 6 that she was only putting one more season into Love & Hip Hop New York. In a radio interview with The Breakfast Club following her breakout season on the VH1 hit reality show, Cardi made it clear that she’s not going to make a career out of the LHHNY grind.

“I’m not gonna be on ‘Love & Hip Hop’ no more. I only got one more season left, last season.”

Fans of Cardi B will be enjoying this one last season of Love & Hip Hop New York with their favorite Trinidadian and Dominican stripper-turned-rapper-turned reality TV star. Based on the first super trailer released by VH1, Cardi isn’t going soft in her sophomore season either, and the drama will be just as high as always.

Tune into the Season 7 premiere of Love & Hip Hop on VH1 on Monday at 8/7c.

[Featured Image by Robin Marchant/Getty Images]