Cardi B is hot. Or, rather, her music is. With chart topping singles as well as impressive break out hit plays, Cardi B is one of the biggest female rap stars out there. Ever since Nicki Minaj took a step back from the spotlight there’s been more and more female rap stars coming to the forefront. We personally love the fact that there’s such a plethora of talent out there. There’s tons of space for everyone to get heard. However, Cardi B kind of has them all beat.

We love the way that she’s come up from nothing and turned her world into one of a lavish celebrity. We also love how she’s never forgotten where she’s come from. However, there are a few things she seems to have conveniently forgotten; or at least, wanted to not let out. These are the secrets she definitely doesn’t want us to know.

20 Her Name Is Based On Bacardi

Okay, maybe not the biggest secret out there. However, it definitely surprised us when we learned. Not only does she have a catchy name, but The Fact Site tells us that it comes from a pretty sweet place. They say that, because her sister is named Hennessy, people called Cardi B ‘Bacardi’. Cardi B comes from that.

19 She Was Fired From Her Original Job

Can anyone guess what that original job was? Believe it or not, it wasn’t dancing (we’ll get to that). Her original job was a career that any of us might have held, or still hold, throughout our lives. The Fact Site reveals that Cardi B used to work at what was essentially a grocery store, and she was flat out fired when she left.

18 And That’s When She Turned To Exotic Dancing

This point of firing was when she ended up turning to exotic dancing to pay her bills. Biography.com tells us that she was, at this point, living away from home and on her own. Girl’s got to work, so why not utilize some of her more natural assets? This was the beginning of her launch to social media stardom.

17 She Lied To Her Mom

Okay, so she has to work. But she doesn’t have to tell her mom what field (or club, or outfit) she’s working in. Harper’s Bazaar quotes her as saying that she used to tell her mom that she was babysitting for rich people in order to make all of her money. Do we condone lying to mom? No. Did it work for Cardi B? Oh, yes.

16 She’s A Fighter (In Many Ways)

Yes, her and Nicki Minaj have been known to get into an argument or two, but Cardi B is a fighter in more than just the verbal way. She’s a strong emotional fighter, as Harper’s Bazaar tells us. They tell us how she ended up utilizing the money she earned from her dancing to leave her hurtful partner.

15 Her Self Esteem Might Not Be As Good As We Think

Listen to any of her songs and she’ll be able to convince you that she’s the bee’s knees and proud of all her lumps and bumps. While that’s probably true, she has gone on record with W Magazine to say how she still can’t believe her social media following loves her as much as they do. Is that a sign her self esteem might be more performance than perfection?

14 Her Childhood Dreams Were Pretty Standard

We can’t blame her for wanting the good things in life. No, we don’t mean Ciroc and cigars. We’re talking about things like marriage, a family, and her ultimate childhood dream: buying her mother a house. BBC tells us that that was her biggest goal in life, and recently she achieved it.

13 She Doesn’t Know How To Drive

We’ll preface this one by saying that, to be fair, we don’t know how to drive either; and it’s for a similar reason to Cardi B! The Fact Site says that she never learned how to drive because she grew up living in the big city. Transit was so good, and her world so accessible, that she never needed to learn.

12 Her Neighborhood Influenced Her A Lot

It’s the specifics about her neighbourhood that really made the difference growing up. Money tells us that Cardi B credits her personality with living “between Highbridge, a Latino-majority neighborhood of South Bronx, and her grandmother’s apartment in Washington Heights.” Totally different words clashed to create Cardi B, which explains her unique outlook!

11 Rosevelt Gets Her Excited

Here’s one that might ruin her street cred if it was leaked. Apparently Cardi B is a bit of a politics fan. She loves learning about the political climate and candidates, and Harper’s Bazaar tells us that she’s even been known to rant about her love for Rosevelt from time to time. Now that’s a multi-talented human.

10 Her Childhood Had A Lot Of Laughter

One of the big things that we assume when people have a rough past is that they didn’t have a positive upbringing. In Cardi B’s case, this isn’t what happened. Money mentions that she actually got to have a whole lot of laughter, and that her upbringing was a good one. Sure, it was a struggle, but there was also a bunch of love.

9 She Used To Know Russian

This is one thing that won’t ruin a career, but definitely raises a few eyebrows. Cardi B apparently used to speak Russian. While she wasn’t fluent, The Fact Site tells us that the club she worked in employed a lot of Russian women. She started learning so she could chat with them.

8 She Was A Teenager When She Got Her First Surgery

Now, when we say teenager, we don’t mean fourteen or fifteen. Technically she was old enough to sensibly and safely make the decision herself. But Harper’s Bazaar does tell us that she was a teenager when her chest surgery happened. The interesting part? She’d been thinking about it for a while, but it was work that inspired her to take the plunge.

7 She Had Asthma

It’s hard to get all those words out without breathing. All of a sudden Cardi B’s rap career seems even more impressive. That being said, the asthma seems to be under control. In an interview with Money Cardi B specified that the breathing issues got bad when she was living in her hurtful ex’s place.

6 Cardi B Is A T-Swizzle Fan

This is something we never would have suspected. Rap is such a distinct genre of music, and we personally would assume that anyone who works in that world would be a huge fan of other rap. However, Cardi B seems to be a big Taylor Swift fan. She’s outspoken about it too, and has posted on her social media before about being a bit of a Swiftie.

5 And A Madonna Fan As Well

This one is a little more understandable, as Cardi B herself is a bit of a show-woman. She loves to perform and loves her dramatic outfits. That’s similar to Madonna, which Cardi B has said time and time again how much she loves. Honestly, her constant drama in her style is enough proof we need to know she loves Madonna.

4 She LOVES Fast Food

Loving Madonna might not be a surprise, but you know what is? Cardi B’s love of fast food. She’s absolutely wild about junk food, according to The Fact Site. We’re surprised, as her figure is absolutely incredible. We never would have guessed that she was a junk food junkie. Does that mean we can get away with eating like that too?

3 Cardi B’s Personality Has Always Been Wild

One thing to remember is that the Cardi B we see now did indeed come from somewhere. That somewhere is from her upbringing, and through her work. She learned to be outgoing, and Money mentions how it’s that charisma and charm that initially started her on the path to becoming a rap icon.

2 She’s Familiar With The Streets

That’s not to say she’s ever been permanently homeless, but she has lived through some tough times before. She’s familiar with what it means to have nothing, as well as what it means to live a life of luxury. Hopefully her history is able to keep her grounded throughout the course of her fame.

1 She Had A Certain Past Affiliation

Cardi B might be associated with success, money, and a variety of brands and organizations now, but she did initially link up with a dangerous group when she was younger. Joining a gang seemed to be part of Cardi B’s past life, but luckily she’s not involved with them anymore. She’s running her own game now

Sources: wmagazine.com, bbc.com thefactsite.com, harpersbazaar.com, money.com