Ever since Cardi B dropped "Bodak Yellow" last summer and the world heard her rap the phrase "these is bloody shoes," rumors have swirled about her Blood gang connections. Speaking to Caity Weaver in an extensive profile for GQ, world-dominating Cardi finally confirms what many have long speculated about: that she was part of the gang, in some ways still is, and has regrets as a result. From the profile:
"When I was 16 years old, I used to hang out with a lot of"—agonizing,
cliff-diver pause—"Bloods. I used to pop off with my homies. And
they'd say, 'Yo, you really get it poppin'. You should come home. You
should turn Blood.' And I did. Yes, I did."
While not sour on her past identification as a Blood ("It's almost like a fraternity, a sorority," she says), Cardi B also wouldn't recommend joining up, insisting that part of the reason she's maintained her silence on the subject so far is "because I wouldn't want a young person, a young girl, to think it's okay to join it."
"You could talk to somebody that is considered Big Homie and they will
tell you: 'Don't join a gang.' The person that I'm under, she would
tell you, 'Don't join a gang.' It's not about violence. It's just
like—it doesn't make your money. It doesn't make your money. I rep it,
because I been repping it for such a long time."
So why break the news about her Bloods connection now? Because she's crushing the game and doesn't have to worry about her ties getting in the way of her success:
"People always be like, 'Oh, Cardi never used to rep it when she
wasn't making music.' Yeah, because I already got signed. I can do
that now. I'm smarter than what people think. There's so many things
that I limited myself because I wanted a million-dollar contract. When
I do interviews, I don't talk about it, because I will lose my
endorsements. But since the cat is out of the bag"—she throws up her
small, barbecue-sauce-covered hands—"that's how I feel. Why? For what?
Why would you join a gang?"
