This Morning, 7 August, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion released their new track ‘WAP’ along with a music video just in time for the weekend. Unsurprisingly, the song and the new video are both as extra and in-your-face as the two rappers. With surprise appearances from Kylie Jenner and Rosalia, here’s everything you need to know about ‘WAP’ and why it is the greatest celebration of women we’ve seen so far this year.
‘WAP’ stands for Wet Ass Pussy. The track is Cardi B’s new single for her upcoming second studio album, Tiger Woods. It’s the first collaboration between Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion as well as Cardi’s first release of 2020 since her solo single ‘Press’.
On 29 July, Cardi B teased the existence of new music with a promo for her website on Instagram, and on 2 August, uploaded a video to her Instagram suggesting there would be an announcement the following day. Finally, on 3 August, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion both revealed the song’s name, cover art, and release date on their Instagram.
Yesterday, on 6 August, Cardi B revealed that the music video would be released alongside the song, and posted a teaser for the video later that day. Minutes before the release of the song, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion did a live-stream on YouTube titled Live with Cardi B.
The music video for ‘WAP’ takes place in a luxurious mansion and starts with a shot of a fountain out front featuring two female statuettes, which is just a little teaser of what’s to come over the next 4:12 minutes. Hint: Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion have never been scared to show a little bit of skin.
“I just want to let y’all know, I wanna give y’all the heads up, the music video is going to be the censored version of the song, because the song is so nasty that YouTube was like, ‘Hold on, wait a minute, someone might be too Goddamn nasty,” Cardi B revealed on Instagram before the release, encouraging fans to listen to the full ‘nasty’ version on streaming services.
Many will have spotted cameo appearances from Kylie Jenner—we’re not joking, Normani, Rosalia, Rubi Rose, Sukihana and Mulatto. The video is full of two things: females and latex, and we’re so here for both!
Appearing on New Music Daily for Apple Music, Cardi B said: “I wanted a lot of different females, not just female rappers. Y’all going to see it on the music video as well, from models to influencers and everything.”
Speaking about the lesser-known artists featured in the ‘WAP’ video, including Rubi Rose, Sukihana and Mulatto, Cardi B said “These are the girls that I personally like. That I like their music. That I really feel they are going to go mainstream.”
Kylie Jenner can be seen in the video walking in the house’s corridors in a tiny leopard body while Rosalia appears dancing in a dark room in a dreamy red latex outfit towards the end of the song.
The song’s crude lyrics highlight Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s aim to make women feel empowered by their sexuality. The lyrics “There’s some whores in this house” celebrate the fact that women get horny too. Feeling like you want more? Do you want to get freaky? Well, ‘WAP’ tells you: just do what you want, get it, no shame.
Women are still underrepresented in the world of hip-hop, without a doubt. Female artists either stray closer to pop or to R&B, playing it safe. Cardi B doesn’t care about any of that. She proves once more to be an empowering voice for women, along with the impressive Megan Thee Stallion.
Both rappers are not afraid to sound loud and proud in a genre ruled by men who objectify women as a selling point for their music. This time, they’ve turned the narrative around. ‘WAP’ sounds, looks and feels like the start of a long-needed change in music.
It looks like Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion just saved 2020.