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Chill fam: Let Cardi and Meg’s explicit ‘WAP’ be a BOP and go
Not every sexual female song has to have the intention to “empower.”
The explicit “WAP” track by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion has blown up since its release this week. And the conversation around the song has been exhausting.
With immediate rejection and ridicule from (mostly male) hip-hop heads and conservatives alike, saying the song is “too vulgar.”
Explicit ‘WAP’ explodes on social
The song stands for “Wet Ass Pussy” and dropped with a music video featuring two of today’s hottest female rappers, Cardi B and Meg Thee Stallion in several sexy outfits walking around a mansion talking about all things sexual pleasure.
In brief terms, it’s a song about female sexual pleasure and desire. And it’s gone viral with an insane amount of fan engagement.
💃🏿💃🏿💃🏿 #HowToGetAwayWithWAP pic.twitter.com/Aq9aunZUlq
— Viola Davis (@violadavis) August 10, 2020
In defense of “WAP”
But with criticisms from the same old people about how the top female rappers only rap about sex and use their bodies to make it big, the backlash has come from the other side.
Some took to ridiculing the men who claim to be heterosexual but are uncomfortable with female sexual pleasure. In fact, some are even trying to say that a wet ass pussy is a medical condition.
Ben Shapiro’s opinion on WAP pic.twitter.com/9BAUL3IHCw
— Josh (@FLITTER) August 10, 2020
The hypocrisy
Let’s not forget how the sexuality of women of color, especially that of Black women is often politicized as hedonistic or only for male consumption, but that’s a LONG conversation for another time.
Many users also pointed out the disproportionate response of angry uproar over sexual lyrics vs, the lack of support for Megan Thee Stallion when she got shot. In fact, many thought it okay to joke about violence against women, but let a woman enjoy her ‘wet ass pussy’ that’s going too far right?
Just let it be a Bop
A number of people sought to redirect the conversation into defending the song as #Empowering. With multiple users on Twitter and the blogosphere arguing that Cardi and Meg are seeking to do great feminist work by owning their sexuality and speaking on female pleasure in unapologetic terms.
While we appreciate messages of empowerment and positive sexual freedom for all, and particularly non-cis-het male sexual freedom sometimes a song is just a song.
Female artists shouldn’t need to be inspiring and goddesses of social change to be able to rap about their bodies. That’s possibly the best and most accurate message behind the song.
I say accurate because more than anything Cardi B seems to be referring to the song as nothing more than a BOP that is also a huge money-making success. She also had something to say to those who criticize female rappers for using sexuality as a commodity to make big bucks.
Cardi B responds to people criticizing her new single “WAP” for being too explicit. Is she speaking facts?? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/m4a7DLakMZ
— Rap All-Stars 🏆 (@RapAllStars) August 8, 2020
Charts on WAP’s side
A quick look at rap and hip hop History will show you that male rappers have been writing sexually suggestive and outright blatant rap songs forEVER. I’m talking to you CeeLo.
“disappointing on a personal and moral level.[…] There was once a time when we were savvy enough to code certain things…. But now music is shameless, it is sheer savagery.” – CeeLo Greene on WAP
Lol dudes will scream “slob on my knob” word for word and crying abt WAP 😂 bye lil boy
— TINA SNOW (@theestallion) August 11, 2020
So it’s quite a waste of time to come at female rappers who decide to do the same and make some money off it too.
Damn, just let us have some fun and let some women get that bread.
Sounds like the conclusion of a Friday night https://t.co/dCG3wMkl5s
— Local Kim K 🥶 (@selmayelm) August 12, 2020
And if you’re of the mind that you’re tired of sexual songs being everywhere, why don’t you put your money where your mouth is and support female artists that don’t do that. Oh but you just wanna run your mouth?
Siri, play explicit “WAP” again.