WAP — The New Scandalous Feminist Anthem
By: Julia Kallaur
Tags: Feminism, Music, Rap, Review

In the collaborative work of rising rappers “Cardi B” Belacalis Marlenis Almánzar and “Megan Thee Stallion” Megan Pete, the “WAP” music video reverses gender roles in a catchy anthem for female empowerment, sending the world into a tizzy. The explicit song — with an acronym I feel best not to spell out on an academic paper — debuted at Number 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Charts and broke streaming records within 24 hours of its release. To say it’s a success is an understatement, but while there are many avid supporters of female rappers, there are more conservative audiences outraged by the lyrics. Cardi B and Stallion use their platform as an expression of their sexuality and its power, reclaiming the feminine body from male rappers who get away with far vulgar lyrics. “WAP” glorifies sexual liberation for all women, exposing the double standard they face as they are expected to appear sexually demure and respectable while men are celebrated for owning their sexual prowess.

The music video directed by Colin Tilley and produced by Whitney Jackson matches perfectly with the intended message, utilizing fantastical cinematography to drive it home. At the beginning of the music video, the camera pans into a large luxurious white mansion, water trickling everywhere as a representation of the “wet” theme continued throughout the video. This nods to the great success of both Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion in past years, rising to some of the most prominent women in music. The female body is proudly displayed, whether as fountains or wall decoration, promoting a comfortable relationship with women and their figures.

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion emerge in colorful, alluring outfits and high heels as they tip-toe around a funky hallway. Peeking into different rooms, they catch glimpses of exotic animals such as tigers, cheetahs, and snakes, symbolizing wealth, and power. As Cardi B sings her part, the pair are transported into a desert setting, laying side-by-side, clad in snakeskin bikinis as snakes slither around them. Megan Thee Stallion’s part flashes them into a factory setting of brilliant green and purple stripes as dancers appear on platforms, steam blasting out of pipes throughout the dance sequence. Their outfits change again into racy neon jumpsuits and high heeled boots, their hair now down and dyed in the scheme of the setting. The music cuts for a moment as the camera zooms back to the original hallway, now occupied by a mysterious woman draped in cheetah print. As we pan up, the audience will recognize it is Kylie Jenner, the well-known billionaire beauty mogul. She makes eye contact with a cheetah but is unfazed and continues to strut down the hall, opening the door to the next room where Cardi is.

Stretched across two chairs in a split, Cardi B’s outfit matches the cheetah upholstery and walls, inlaid with gold details. She struts around the room with the cheetah, posing in a new, equally scandalous outfit of the same print, her hair done up in an intricate chain-link ponytail. As the chorus chimes in, we flashback to Megan Thee Stallion in her new location. White flowers and marble columns span the new white tiger-themed room, the animal print expanding over the walls and doors. Megan Thee Stallion straddles the bench in a white-tiger print romper, her hair also matching with black and white patches as two of the said-tigers lumber around the room.

We cut back and forth between the cheetah room, white tiger room, and a new glass roof water stage. They are joined by background dancers again, all matching in tight leather outfits adorned with fishnets and a natural wet hair look. As the song winds down, we alternate between all the celebrities, ending as Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion grin, giggling, and wobble out of the hallway on their high heels, cutting to black as the bass drops.

A sequence of quick cameos ends the video, going back and forth between different rooms of different women. World-renowned artist Normani swings an umbrella in argyle print and cap, breaking into a choreographed dance. Next is flamenco-pop performer Rosalía, adorned in a sultry red latex bodysuit and a traditional Spanish bullfighter’s hat. The first winner of Jermaine Dupri and Queen Latifah’s Lifetime competition The Rap Game, Mulatto gave the camera a quick booty-shake in an eye-popping colorful room (fig 4), followed by Love & Hip Hop: Miami’s Sukihana seductively dropping down feeling herself (fig 5), and rapper Rubi Rose joining in, bending forward in a spikey red latex outfit with thigh-high boots.

Despite such great cinematography, choreography, appearances from amazing women, and outfits beyond compare, many people have a lot to say about “WAP”… Republican men taking the majority of the online trolls. The hypocrisy of this backlash is simple: Men have profited off of rapping about female sex and pleasure. Now that these women are taking that power back — it leaves many of these male rappers to feign outrage over something of which they should have no concern. Take Jay-Z for example in his hit “I Just Wanna Love You”, singing the chorus of “Give it to me… that sweet, that nasty, that gushy stuff.”

Not convinced? Part of “WAP” is directly sampled from “Whores in This House” by Baltimore-native Frank Ski — meaning it was okay for him to refer to women as whores, but not for said women to reclaim the word. But the problem isn’t just in the music industry. Even political figures have made this song somehow their business. Congressional-hopeful Republican James Bradley of Los Angeles tweeted:

“Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion are what happens when children are raised without God and without a strong father figure. 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!”.

Even Ben Shapiro, a roundly mocked conservative opinion writer chimed in with a dramatic reading of the song, complaining that the lyrics were a step backward for the feminist movement. What’s even harder to take seriously about these arguments is that these conservatives critiquing the song helped elected current President Donald Trump — well known for his enjoyment of “grabbing them by the pussy.” The double standard for women is made extremely clear in all aspects of life. When assaulted by men, they chide women that they were “asking for it” with that outfit. Vasectomies are a much more practical form of birth control, but men insist it is on women to get on birth control, changing their hormones and causing significant side effects for others. I could keep going forever, but it is much more important to note the fact that the women in this video were almost all people of color, garnering them even greater backlash in sloppily hide racist commentary on the video.

That being said, including other powerful women such as Normani, Rosalía, Mulatto, Sukihana, Rubi Rose and Kylie Jenner was extremely powerful in conveying the song’s message. This was especially notable as the music industry tends to leave out women of color, so giving these emerging stars a spotlight on the world stage was a truly amazing addition to the meaning of the music video — pioneering success for all women. Initially, there was some controversy as Kylie Jenner, a white woman, was included in the predominantly people of color cast — critics claimed she had no right to be there — but Cardi B was quick to shut down these comments, saying it was …

“… to create a bigger conversation about women in power and influence, stating it shouldn’t matter if the woman’s white or Black — If a woman’s making strides, she strides for the next woman. Period.”

Another great element of the video was astonishing editing and direction, really tying the whole video together. The editing was well done, with green screening in crazy locations and exotic animals that seemed to be right there. Each scene flowed nicely with the lyrics, alternating between their combined parts and individual sections. The director spares no chance to make it as “sexy” as possible, making it very easy to understand the message of female empowerment. With lewd outfits, ambitious hairstyles, sneaky cameos, a plethora of animals, and the unbothered comfort with touching other women, this music video visually entertains and matches the song’s tone, creating a masterpiece of self-acceptance and empowerment for all women.