Before she was famous, Cardi B liked to do a spot of shopping in the Bronx – while wearing some very revealing hot pants.
These throwback pictures were taken during the Grammy winner’s stripping days, at Modell’s Sporting Goods in The Bronx, in August 2014 when Cardi was just 21-years-old.
The 26-year-old Bodak Yellow singer, who quit stripping at age 23, is seen perusing the isles of the discount store, then leaning over the counter as she pays for her items, in photos obtained exclusively by DailyMailTV.
‘I was in Modell’s and I looked over the cash register because there was a lot of guys hanging near there, like a lot,’ said the man who shot the photos, who did not wish to be named.
‘I looked to see what they were looking at and I saw this chick with these really short-shorts, so I took a few pictures, because I thought she was beautiful, she had a great body.
‘I didn’t think about the pictures again until last week when I was clearing out my Dropbox folder.
‘I saw them and I was like ”oh my god, that’s Cardi B.”
‘That day I saw her, back in the summer of 2014, I had no idea she was going to turn out to be a megastar, I just thought she was really pretty.’
Cardi, real name Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, grew up in the Highbridge region of the Bronx, a short subway ride from this Modell’s branch.
Since her stripping days, Cardi B married rapper Offset of the group Migos and they had eight-month-old daughter Kulture.
The couple broke up in December amid reports that Offset had cheated.
But after some very public apologies, where Offset professed his love both in person and on social media, they reunited over the last number of weeks.
Offset is riding high following the success of his first ever solo album, while Cardi is expected to drop her second studio album in the coming months.
The Bodak Yellow hitmaker has been celebrating her new single Please Me reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and her Grammy win.
Cardi B is now attempting to trademark her popular ‘okurrr’ catchphrase for an upcoming line of paper goods and clothing items.