Okay, it's not a party, she's working ... it just doesn't look like work. The rapper was covered head-to-toe in tiger body paint while shooting a music video. She put in some serious twerk on a floating stripper pole, and when we say twerking ... we mean LOTS OF TWERKING.

Cardi's shooting with the Miami duo, City Girls ... one of whom rocked zebra body paint.

They kept the party going on a yacht with more than a dozen bikini-clad chicks who were also letting their asses do the talking. You've gotta see what happened when Cardi started poppin' bottles. We'll just say ... bubbly flows just fine where the sun don't shine.

As we first reported, prosecutors in NYC were frustrated Cardi didn't show up to a Monday hearing in her strip club beatdown case.

We can hear the excuse now: Your Honor, I was busy earning my stripes.