Cardi B says court-ordered community service changed her perspective on life
Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B recently visited an NYPD ‘Girls Talk’ event at the police training academy in Queens and revealed “her rags to riches story”. She spoke to some girls in a police mentorship programme last Friday as part of an “eye-opening and emotional week performing court-mandated community service”.
Cardi’s plea deal required her to perform 15 days of community service till March 1st to avoid a 15-day prison sentence for her role in some brawls at New York City strip clubs in 2018.
The 30-year-old told her young audience, “I feel like there are so many people that make y’all probably feel like, ‘This is what’s cool, this is what’s going on, this is what it takes to be lit, this is what it takes to be fire’.”
She added, “Sometimes that’s a little bit of peer pressure like on a girl. Don’t fall into that. You know what I’m saying? Like, be great. Be you. You’re amazing. You’re dope yourself.”
The NYPD posted a video on Twitter showing highlights of their event. Check it out below!
The department’s move has drawn criticism from some people, including a retired police lieutenant, who questioned whether the rapper was an appropriate role model for the young girls given her past controversies, provocative lyrics, criminal record and past admission that she drugged and robbed men while working as a stripper before she got famous.
Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar, has been chronicling her community service on Twitter all week. On Saturday, she wrote, “Community service has been the best thing that has happened to me. Almost like a spiritual journey because sometimes I leave these centres in tears. Those people that we leave behind, they just need somebody to talk to and a little push and YOU might be able to change their life forever. (sic)”
In another post, on her way to the police academy, the multiple-platinum-selling artist complained about waking up early to perform community service before going to the recording studio, but added, “I did the crime ‘I only have myself to blame’.”
In September last year, Cardi B agreed to a conditional discharge just as her case was about to go to trial. She pleaded guilty to two misdemeanour charges stemming from the August 2018 fights. Ten other counts, including two felonies, were dismissed. Two co-defendants also pleaded guilty.
In an official statement at the time, Cardi B said, “Part of growing up and maturing is being accountable for your actions. As a mother, it’s a practice that I am trying to instil in my children, but the example starts with me. I’ve made some bad decisions in my past that I am not afraid to face and own up to. These moments don’t define me and they are not reflective of who I am now.”
According to prosecutors, Cardi B and her entourage had targetted employees of Angels Strip Club in Flushing, Queens, over an alleged personal dispute. In one of the fights, a bartender and an employee sustained minor injuries as chairs, bottles and hookah pipes were thrown.
(With inputs from agencies)
