The long wait is over. Fans have plenty to absorb in WAP, the latest single from Bronx, New York rapper, Cardi B. WAP is Cardi B’s first release since her 2018 Grammy-winning seminal album, Invasion of Privacy.
The video dropped late Thursday evening to a parade of fanfare and admiration, catching over 18 million views almost overnight. The song features superstar rapper Megan Thee Stallion as they trade verses in an ode to sexual prowess and desire. The video itself perhaps most notably features Cardi and Megan posing suggestively on the floor of a pit with live snakes crawling on and around them.
Megan posted several behind the scenes photos on her Instagram page handling the slithering reptiles captioned, “LOL I never touched a snake in my life!!! CryingLaughterEmoji Scariest sh*t ever! WAP VIDEO OUT NOW GO RUN IT UP *TripleFireEmoji*.
The video has garnered its share of acclaim of fans and celebrities alike. Cardi B’s husband and fellow rapper Offset shared his admiration with an Instagram post of his own featuring his wife in leopard print themed shot from the video captioned, “So proud of my wife. She works so hard and her creativity and mind is out this world. LUCKIEST ni**a ever. Wap out now!”
However, as one might imagine, the highly NFSW song and video are not without their detractors. Fans and critics decried the cameo from Kylie Jenner, as one Twitter user commented, “it better be promotion for her white fans.” Another Twitter user also replied, “We thought the video was broken! She has no business being in the WAP video.”
While criticisms of cultural appropriation and the failure to include other notable women rappers comprised one side of the negative reaction, traditionalist viewpoints made up the difference.
DeAnne Lorraine, a Republican Congressional candidate in the March 3rd, 2020 California Primary took to Instagram with her thoughts. “Cardi B & Megan thee Stallion just set the entire female gender back by 100 years with their disgusting & vile ‘”WAP’” song.”
She was not alone. James P. Bradley, a Congressional candidate for the Republican House from California, also weighed in via Twitter, “Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion are what happens when children are raised without God and without a strong father figure.” He added, “Their new “’song’” The #WAP (which I heard accidentally) made me want to pour holy water in my ears and I feel sorry for future girls if this is their role model!”
He “accidentally” heard WAP. Okay. Sure. I bet he’s a great poker player, too.