Joe Budden, no stranger to controversy, is back under the public eye, but this time due to his comments regarding discrimination in New York strip clubs. After receiving backlash from a couple of rappers in particular, Cardi B is backing Budden, claiming that she’s experienced the exact type of discrimination he was referencing in his initial post on the topic.
In an Instagram story posted on June 2, Joe Budden tried to shed light on the lack of black women being hired in Big Apple strip clubs. The New York native, who has never shied away from sharing his opinion, is a frequent visitor to such establishments.
“NY strip clubs, not only are you not hiring Black women, but you’re purposely hiring the SAME exact girl.. Your promoter having a type is gonna lose y’all money this Summer. This is disgusting (not the girls, the optics),” Budden wrote via Instagram.
The former Slaughterhouse rapper later followed up on Twitter, adding, “I think I’m gonna start a war with NY strip clubs but only because I care.”
After receiving responses from rappers such as Ugly God and Waka Flocka, Budden has now gained support from artist Cardi B, who noted that she herself has been subject to such discrimination in her former career as a stripper.
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“Funny thing [you] say that because when I was a dancer certain clubs wouldn’t let me work on ‘Latin Nights’ cause apparently I didn’t look Spanish enough wit my braids! I even spoke about strip club and colorism b4,” the rapper tweeted.
The “Bodak Yellow” artist has openly discussed her career as a stripper. In a 2016 interview with VladTV, the 29-year-old said that she started stripping as a means to escape domestic violence. In an interview a year later also with VladTV, the rapper yet again spoke up about her time working the pole, this time shedding light on the increase of “light-skin” girls being hired over “darker-skinned” girls– pointing to Budden’s point, incidentally.
Cardi recently made a return to the pole for her husband Offset in Cabo. Readers can check that out here.