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WAP (song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = WAP
| type = single
| cover = Cardi B - WAP (feat. Megan Thee Stallion).png
| alt = Cover art for "WAP": a portrait of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion leaning against each other, set to a hot pink background. Both of them have their eyes closed and their tongues sticking out, wearing tall, black wigs that look identical.
| artist = Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion
| album =
| released =
| recorded =
| genre =
| length = 3:07
| label = Atlantic
| writer = * Cardi B
* Megan Pete
* Austin Owens
* James Foye III
* Frank Rodriguez
* Jorden Thorpe
| producer = * Ayo the Producer
* Keyz
| chronology = Cardi B
| prev_title = Writing on the Wall
| prev_year = 2019
| next_title = Me Gusta
| next_year = 2020
| misc =
}}
"'WAP'" is a song by American rapper Cardi B. The song features guest vocals from fellow American rapper Megan Thee Stallion. It was released through Atlantic Records on August 7, 2020, as the lead single from Cardi B's upcoming second studio album. "WAP" is an acronym for "Wet Ass Pussy". Musically it's a hip hop song driven by heavy bass, drum beats, and a sample of Frank Ski's Baltimore club 1993 single "Hoes in This House". In the lyrics of "WAP", Cardi B and Megan discuss how they want men to please them, using numerous sexual references.
"WAP" received widespread critical acclaim for its sex-positive message, with several publications ranking it as the best song of 2020; some conservatives reacted negatively to its explicit lyrics. It debuted atop the US 'Billboard' Hot 100, with the largest opening streaming week for a song in U.S. history. It gave Cardi B her fourth number-one single and Megan her second in the U.S. "WAP" became the first female rap collaboration to debut at number one on the Hot 100. The single spent four weeks atop the chart, also spending multiple weeks at number one in several other countries. "WAP" became the first number-one single on the inaugural 'Billboard' Global 200, topping the chart for three weeks.
"WAP" was certified 7 Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion performed the song at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. The music video, directed by Colin Tilley, features cameos from several women, including television star Kylie Jenner, singers Normani and Rosala, and rappers Latto, Sukihana, and Rubi Rose. "WAP" broke the record for the biggest 24-hour debut for an all-female collaboration on YouTube. The song earned the 11th position on IFPI's year-end singles chart.
Background and release
On August 3, 2020, Cardi B revealed that she would release a collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion soon, and simultaneously unveiled its cover art on social media. Three days later on August 6, she announced via Instagram that the music video for the song would be released alongside it on August 7, but that the video would feature the censored version of the track. A censored version was sent to US radio, as opposed to the original version. In it, the hook is changed from "wet ass pussy" to "wet and gushy", among other censors. It marked Cardi B's first release of 2020, and Megan's first release following a highly publicized shooting incident allegedly involving her and Tory Lanez, where Megan sustained injuries from a bullet to her feet. Cardi B confirmed that the song will appear on her upcoming second studio album.
Production and composition
"WAP" is an acronym for "Wet-Ass Pussy". Cardi B wrote and recorded her verses for the track and reworked parts of it several times. She wrote multiple versions of the hook before deciding on a final one. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion first connected through their respective wardrobe stylists. After meeting her in Los Angeles, Cardi B told her team that she was considering a collaboration with her. A couple of days later, both sent tracks to each other. Cardi B proposed the idea of sending "WAP", as her business partner Brooklyn Johnny did to Megan's manager. After receiving her verses, the song's engineers started editing and mixing vocals, as well as reworking the beat and the arrangementparticularly, the part of the arrangement of the song that, according to Johnny, "feels like a hook".
"WAP" is a "raunchy" hip hop, trap, and dirty rap song with heavy bass which heavily samples Frank Ski's 1993 Baltimore club single "Whores in This House". Ski teased his involvement in a Twitter post the day before the song's release. Writing credits are given to Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, producers Ayo the Producer and Keyz, Frank Ski for the sample from "Whores in This House" and Pardison Fontaine. Cardi B's voice in the song was described as "throaty" and "staccato".
Reception
Critical response
"WAP" received widespread critical acclaim. For 'Pitchfork', Lakin Starling called it "a nasty-ass rap bop, bursting with the personality of two of rap's most congenial household names". Jon Caramanica of 'The New York Times' deemed it "an event record that transcends the event itself", and stated that both rappers "are exuberant, sharp and extremely... vividly detailed" in the song that "luxuriates in raunch". Rania Aniftos of 'Billboard' described the song as a "scorching banger". Mikael Wood of 'Los Angeles Times' deemed it a "savage, nasty, sex-positive triumph" and stated that "the women's vocal exuberance is the showthe way they tear into each perfectly rendered lyric and chew up the words like meat".For 'The Guardian', Dream McClinton wrote, "the hit collaboration... has become a belated song of the summer, empowering women and enraging prudes along the way... [it] should be celebrated, not scolded". In NPR, cultural critic Taylor Crumpton deemed both rappers "women leading the genre into [a] new era of unification between women rappers" with "an already iconic song about women sexuality". She praised the message, describing it as "if you need to come, step to me, you have to be able to fill my sexual needs, and these are what they are". In another article from 'Pitchfork', Jayson Greene said that it "has become the song of this... summera ripe... sex jam", deeming it "joyfully explicit", and "full of... detail".
Reactions from conservative figures
was widely mocked for his sarcastic reading of the lyrics to "WAP"."WAP" was criticized by many social conservatives in the United States, who claimed that the song was offensive and prurient and that it would cause harm to American culture and society. James P. Bradley, a health industry executive who was running for a California congressional seat on the Republican ticket, wrote on Twitter, "Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion are what happens when children are raised without God and without a strong father figure," adding that the song made him want to "pour holy water" in his ears. Another former congressional candidate from California, DeAnna Lorraine, expressed similar distaste for the song, writing, "Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion just set the entire female gender back by 100 years with their disgusting & vile 'WAP' song".
Defenders of the song responded to these reactions, claiming that they mischaracterized the artists. August Brown of the 'Los Angeles Times' wrote that, contrary to Bradley's comments, Megan "did indeed have a strong father figure" and Cardi B "is no stranger to faith". Lorraine was criticized on social media for her statements, with many critics accusing her of hypocrisy for using the language of women's advocacy to denigrate a song created by two women.
Megan Thee Stallion responded personally to Lorraine's comments in an interview with 'GQ', mocking Lorraine for having "literally had to go listen to this song in its entirety." She went on to say that critics of the song, including Lorraine, must not have "WAP" themselves.
Conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro criticized the song's message, sarcastically stating that "this is what feminism fought for." These comments were made in a widely-seen video that included Shapiro reciting a plain reading of the song's lyrics, many of which he self-censored with euphemisms such as "p-word". Shapiro also mocked what he considered the implausibility of certain lyrics in the song, posting on Twitter that vaginal lubrication on the scale referred to in the song's lyrics would most likely be a symptom of "bacterial vaginosis, yeast infection, or trichomonis ['sic']" rather than sexual arousal.
Shapiro's video was mocked by multiple news outlets and widely circulated and mocked online by fans of the song. Shapiro's comments, particularly his remarks on vaginal lubrication, were condemned as medically inaccurate by prominent gynecologists; many social media users also mocked the comment as a "self-own", implying that Shapiro was unfamiliar with vaginal lubrication due to an inability to sexually satisfy his wife. Arwa Mahdawi in 'The Guardian' opined that Shapiro's reaction was proof that "women taking charge of their sexuality... drives conservatives up the wall", and remarked that Shapiro "doesn't seem particularly well acquainted with female anatomy".
Impact
In 'The Wall Street Journal', Neil Shah considered the song "a big moment for female rappers" and "a historic sign that women artists are making their mark on hip-hop like never before". In 'The New York Times', Ben Sisario commented that it "is almost certainly the most explicit song ever to reach the top". Similarly, 'Slate' staff deemed it "the dirtiest and most sexually-explicit Hot 100 number one of all time". Nick Levine of the BBC stated that the success of the song as "[a] celebration of female sexual agency" creates space for many more female artists "to write unselfconsciously about what they want." Carl Lamarre of 'Billboard' stated that the song's success has "a deeper significance", describing it as "a clever Trojan horse for the myriad ways Cardi B influences the culture with every move she makes." In an article for 'The Independent' about what the song's commercial achievement says about the changing shape of the music industry, Micha Frazer-Carroll stated that "the undeniable smash of the year captured the spirit of 2020". 'Complex' staff named it the song "that had the most pure impact" in 2020, with it being an "empowering anthem" largely because is "a record-breaking song performed by two Black women." 'Rolling Stone' staff commented that the public outrage from conservative figures contributed to the song's "pop-cultural impact".Music video
The video for "WAP", directed by Colin Tilley, uses the clean version of the song. Cardi B said that over $100,000 was spent getting COVID-19 testing for everyone on set. Garnering over 26 million views in its first day, "WAP" broke the record for the biggest 24-hour debut for an all-female collaboration on YouTube. While making the video for "WAP", Patience Foster, the video's co-creative director, said that Cardi B proposed the idea of "a house full of powerful women" without exclusions.
Synopsis
and Willy Wonka-esque design, respectively.The video shows Cardi B and Megan walking through a colorful mansion, and showcases different rooms throughout it, with water dripping through different doorways. Cardi B and Megan open the video in the mansion hallway, wearing custom Nicolas Jebran dresses, opera gloves, and matching updos. During Cardi B's first verse they also appear in a snake-filled room. For this transition, the door knocker comes alive as a snake and eats the camera. Access date: July 4, 2022 The next scene shows both rappers in a green and purple room wearing Thierry Mugler outfits, composed of a corset bodice, mesh tights and sleeves, with Megan performing her first verse. Kylie Jenner then walks through to a hallway to where Cardi B is. For her second verse, Cardi B appears in a leopard-themed room, wearing a matching long-sleeved bodysuit with cut-outs in the front and pasties, also by Mugler, with leopards surrounding her. Megan appears in a white tiger-themed bathroom with white tigers around her in a black-and-white Juraj Zigman garment. The pool scene includes a dance routine choreographed by JaQuel Knight and performed by both artists. The video also includes cameos from Jenner, Normani, Rosala, Latto, Rubi Rose, and Sukihana.
Critical reception
Writing for 'Billboard', Trevor Anderson commented that "[the] widely viewed music video transformed from just a promotional clip into a pop-culture phenomenon". Claire Shaffer and Althea Legaspi of 'Rolling Stone' called the video "steamy" and "sensual". Chris Murphy of 'Vulture' described the video as "very Dr. Seuss, but make it NSFW in a fun way". In 'Complex', Brianna Holt commented, "the music video couldn't be more timely." She described the set as "a mansion full of women who are demonstrative of their sexual prowess". Writing for 'The Guardian', Dream McClinton deemed the video "unapologetic in celebrating the sensuality and sexuality of women," adding, "it isn't shy or coy, it's about the loud articulation of female desire for sex, as they want it, and it centres them as active participants with agency". Burr in 'The Boston Globe' argued that the same adults "who are up in arms over Cardi B on YouTube today" due to the video's "in-your-face outrageousness" celebrated sexually charged music videos on MTV 30 years ago, questioning if people "forget the youthful yearning to be free" when they become parents. He further added that the reason why "the rococo visual matters" is that it shows what it looks like "when a woman of color takes charge, which is still taboo in many corners of this country".Alyssa Rosenberg of 'The Washington Post' described the video as "an ode to female sexual pleasure" that is among the most sexually explicit content she has ever seen in mainstream American popular culture, and opined that in a "weird year" like 2020 "a culture-war clash feels refreshingly normal". Micha Frazer-Carroll of 'The Independent' deemed the "absurdist" video "ludicrously excessive but utterly hypnotic" that "feels as if it were taking place in an alternative universe." In 'IndieWire', Leonardo Adrian Garcia considered it "a mix of Hype Williams and Tim Burton by way of the strip club", further adding that "it's a video that demands ones attention" and "deserves praise" despite the "lightning rod for very dumb controversy" that generated.
Writing for 'Pitchfork', Eric Torres praised, writing that it is "easily one of the best of the year", also deeming it "a vibrant display of self-empowerment that could only come from two of rap's most brazenly sex-positive voices". In 'Complex', Jessica McKinney stated that the video created "an inescapable pop culture moment" that "completely dominated the conversation" with "vivid imagery, glamorous costumes, trippy effects, and dynamic choreography", further adding that it "set the standard for quality videos in 2020, calling for other artists to put more thought and effort into their visuals as we move into the new year."
, who appears in the video
Other responses
Fan reactions to Kylie Jenner's cameo in the video were markedly negative. Many social media users expressed displeasure with her appearance in a video whose cast mainly consisted of Black women, especially considering her history of alleged cultural appropriation. Cardi B later tweeted, explaining that she put Jenner in the video because Jenner (and her partner Travis Scott) were close friends of hers and Offset, further stating, "Not everything is about race." Foster referred to the petition as "bullshit".'Tiger King' star and Big Cat Rescue CEO Carole Baskin spoke out against the use of big cats in the video. In a statement for 'Billboard', she added that the video promotes wealthy individuals owning tigers as pets. That makes every ignorant follower want to imitate by doing the same," adding that, based on the posing of the cats, "they probably dealt with one of the big cat pimps, who makes a living from beating... cats to make them stand on cue in front of a green screen in a studio." Cardi B responded in an interview with 'Vice', saying "I'm not gonna engage with Carole Baskin on that...Like, that's just ridiculous, you know?...Like, girl you killed your goddamn husband." Representatives from PETA similarly took issue with the use of big cats in the video, saying in another statement to 'Billboard', "if real animals were used instead of computer-generated imagery, the message sent is that animal exploitation is 'Okurrr'and it isn't. If Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion really care about pussy liberation, they wouldn't use suffering big cats as props."
Commercial performance
North America
"WAP" debuted at number one on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 chart, garnering Cardi B her fourth chart-topper in the US, extending her record as the female rapper with the most number-one singles, and marked Megan's second number-one single. Cardi B became the only female rapper to achieve Hot 100 number-one singles in two different decades (2010s and 2020s). "WAP" became the first female rap collaboration to debut at number one on the Hot 100.. Access date: July 4, 2022 The song was driven by 93 million streams, 125,000 downloads and 11.6 million radio airplay impressions. As the song topped the Digital Song Sales and Streaming Songs charts, it became Cardi B's third chart-topper on the latter and fourth on the former, and Megan's second on both.The 93 million streaming total became the largest first-week streams for a song in 'Billboard' history, and earned the most weekly streams for a song in 2020. "WAP" generated the most weekly on-demand US audio streams among songs by female artists, with 54.7 million streams, and earned the largest sales week for a song since Taylor Swift's "Me!" featuring Brendon Urie. "WAP" also reached number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, marking Cardi B's fifth number-one entry on the former and fourth on the latter, and Megan's second on both. 'Billboard' called the song "one of the most dominant Hot 100 number ones of the last 30 years".
"WAP" became the first song to spend its first two weeks at number one on the Hot 100 since Grande's "7 Rings". In between those chart-toppers, eight songs debuted at number one, each spending a single week at the summit. Of the 42 songs that have entered the chart at number one since the Hot 100 started in 1958, 19 including "WAP" remained on top in their second weeks. "WAP" also became the first song among female artists to lead the Hot 100 for multiple weeks since Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You". For the chart issue dated September 26, "WAP" achieved a fourth non-consecutive week atop the chart.
"WAP" debuted at number one on the Canadian Hot 100, becoming Cardi B's second chart-topper and Megan's first. It spent four non-consecutive weeks atop the chart. It was the most streamed song of 2020 in the US by a female artist, with 732.7 million on-demand streams, ranking sixth among all. In the US, Cardi B has achieved three times the best-performing song of the year by a female artistthe only act to do so this centurywith "WAP" (2020) joining "Bodak Yellow" (2017) and "I Like It" (2018).
Europe and Oceania
In Australia, "WAP" became the third female hip hop song to top the ARIA Singles Chart, and the first since 1992. It spent six weeks atop the chart, becoming the longest-running number one song by a female hip hop artist in the country.In the United Kingdom, "WAP" debuted at number four on the UK Singles Chart on the August 14 20, 2020, weekly chart. During its fourth consecutive week on the chart, "WAP" reached the top of the UK Singles Chart on the September 4 10, 2020, chartbecoming both Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's first chart-topper in Britain, as well as the first female rap collaboration to top the UK Singles Chart. The song spent three weeks at the top of the chart.
In the Republic of Ireland, it became the first number one single for both artists on the Irish Singles Chart, where it spent three weeks at the top. In New Zealand, "WAP" debuted at number two on the Official New Zealand Music Chart, peaking at the top of the chart the following week, becoming Cardi B's second chart-topper and Megan's first chart-topper in New Zealand. It remained atop the chart for six weeks in the country.
Worldwide
The music video for "WAP" broke the record for the most views within 24 hours for a female collaboration, with over 26.5 million views. Cardi B was ranked at number one on Bloomberg's August 2020 Pop Star Power Ranking due to the success of "WAP".During the first week of the 'Billboard' Global 200 chart, which tracks the most streamed and digitally sold songs in over 200 territories, and their Global Excl. US chart, which tracks the same metrics outside of the United States, "WAP" debuted at number one on the Global 200 chart, with 100.9 million global streams and 23,000 global downloads, making it the first number-one on the chart, and at number three on the Global Excl. US Chart during the charts inaugural week of September 4, 2020. It has topped the Global 200 chart for three non-consecutive weeks.
Live performances
"WAP" was first performed by Megan Thee Stallion, airing via a Tidal Live performance on August 29, 2020. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion performed the song together for the first time at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, airing on CBS on March 14, 2021. Grammys host Trevor Noah prefaced the performance with, "If you have small children in the room, just tell them it's a song about giving a cat a bath", and the chorus "wet and gushy," was changed to "wet, wet, wet". 'Billboard' ranked it as the best performance of the ceremony, commenting that "this had to be one of the most insane television debut performances of all time." Music critic Jon Caramanica called the performance "wildly and charmingly salacious, frisky and genuine in a way that the Grammys has rarely if ever made room for". However, the performance received criticism for being "non family-friendly". 'Rolling Stone' has listed it among the 25 "greatest Grammy performances of all time", the only female rap act on the list.
Cover versions
On August 10, rapper Safaree released a remix of "WAP" called "B.A.D" (an acronym for Big Ass Dick). The cover art features Cardi B and Megan on both ends, with a woman (assumed to be his wife Erica Mena) performing simulated oral sex on him in the center. The remix was widely panned by fans on social media, many of whom found the remix to be poorly timed, considering how soon after the song's original release it came. The same day, dancehall singer Vybz Kartel released a freestyle remix while in prison, which was met with enthusiasm from Cardi B.
Rapper Plies released a "P-Mix" to the song on August 14, to positive reception. Country singer Margo Price performed an acoustic rendition of "WAP" on 'The Daily Show with Trevor Noah', as part of a segment on double standards about sex in music. 'Rolling Stone's Claire Shaffer said of the cover, "Price puts her genuine all into the song, and it comes out sounding like a legitimate country ode to 'wet ass pussy.'" YouTube parody artist Lardi B posted a food-based parody of the song, changing the acronym from "Wet Ass Pussy" to "Wings and Pizza", on August 14.
Rapper Qveen Herby released a baroque pop cover version of the song as a promotional single on August 20. Drag queens Lady Bunny and Flotilla DeBarge released a parody of the song, entitled "DAP" (or Dry Ass Pussy), on August 28. A remix set to the 1986 musical 'The Phantom of the Opera's main theme was posted to TikTok, where Andrew Lloyd Webber, the musical's composer, posted a video playing the piano to it. Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro performed a cover of the song for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on September 3, 2020.
Accolades
Rankings
Industry awards
Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.
* Cardi B vocals, songwriting
* Megan Thee Stallion vocals, songwriting
* Ayo the Producer production, songwriting
* Keyz production, songwriting
* Pardison Fontaine songwriting
* Frank Ski songwriting
* Evan LaRay engineering
* Shawn "Source" Jarrett engineering
* Leslie Braithwaite mixing
* Colin Leonard mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
Release history
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Release dates and formats for "WAP"
|-
! scope="col"| Region
! scope="col"| Date
! scope="col"| Format
! scope="col"| Label
! scope="col"|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row"| Various
| August 6, 2020
|
| Warner
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| August 7, 2020
|
| Atlantic
|
|-
! scope="row"| Italy
| Radio airplay
| Warner
|
|}
References
*
Category:2020 singles
Category:2020 songs
Category:Atlantic Records singles
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Billboard Global 200 number-one singles
Category:Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Cardi B songs
Category:Dirty rap songs
Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Category:Megan Thee Stallion songs
Category:Number-one singles in Australia
Category:Number-one singles in Greece
Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand
Category:Obscenity controversies in music
Category:Sex-positive feminism
Category:Song recordings produced by Ayo the Producer
Category:Song recordings produced by Keyz (producer)
Category:Songs about telephones
Category:Songs with feminist themes
Category:Songs written by Cardi B
Category:Songs written by Megan Thee Stallion
Category:Songs written by Pardison Fontaine
Category:Songs written by Keyz (producer)
Category:Songs written by Ayo the Producer
Category:Songs written by Frank Ski
Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles
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