By Deming Rohlfs

Cardi B is no stranger to controversy. The “Bodak Yellow” singer flooded headlines when she was charged with assault in a strip club in 2019, as well as during her rather public feud with Nicki Minaj that led to her throwing a shoe at New York Fashion Week. However, Cardi’s latest backlash comes not over her actions but over her new hit single, a collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion entitled “WAP,” or Wet-Ass Pussy. Wildly popular, this song has seen conservative commentators and US congressional candidates weigh in to denounce it even as it broke first-week streaming and music video records.

Though the song has become popular, reaching #1 on the iTunes, Apple Music, and Spotify, some Republican hopefuls and commentators are not so happy. James P. Bradley, a candidate for the US House of Representatives, tweeted that the song “made me want to pour holy water in my ears.” Deanna Lorraine, former congressional candidate and republican political correspondent called it “disgusting and vile.” Perhaps the most vocal critic of the song has been Ben Shapiro.

Source: Gage Skidmore on Flickr, commercial use allowed

The host of The Daily Wire has gone viral for reciting the lyrics to WAP in a deadpan, disapproving tone. Shapiro’s later tweets concerning the lyrics “bucket and a mop” made himself the subject of ridicule, when he questioned whether or not the artists needed medical care for a normal, and for most women welcome, biological process. However, Shapiro’s and other’s criticism has not seemed to affect the artists or sales of the song. Cardi B tweeted herself: “I can’t believe conservatives soo mad about WAP.” Though the outrage caused by Cardi B’s lyrics was quickly disseminated and mocked, she is far from the first singer to provoke disapproval and even censorship. Lyrics considered vulgar, especially those concerned with female sexual pleasure, have long been deemed too indecent for public consumption.

Provoking outrage with lyrics is nothing new in the music scene. When the Rolling Stones first performed on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, Sullivan told Mick Jagger that he received “‘hundreds of letters from parents complaining about you.’” That didn’t stop the Stones’ popularity, but it also did nothing to change their image as wild and inappropriate rock stars. In 1967, their second visit to the show had them censor the lyrics of the song “Let’s Spend the Night Together” to make them more family-friendly. In the 1980s, Prince’s “Darling Nikki” saw equal levels of controversy. The lyrics, especially those at the beginning concerning female pleasure, led Tipper Gore to found the Parents Music Resource Center and lobby for the establishment of parental guidance stickers on CDs. Similar to the Rolling Stones, the parental disapproval did nothing to slow the sales of Prince’s famed album Purple Rain. Songs outside of the rock scene were not spared from being labeled inappropriate, such as Loretta Lynn’s 1975 single “The Pill.” The lyrics to Lynn’s song in particular heralded increasing access to birth control, something taboo for the time. Its celebration of women’s growing sexual freedom meant that many radio stations refused to play the song, but that didn’t hinder it from reaching #5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Hits list and becoming one of Lynn’s top singles.

Source: Sean Davis on Flickr, creative commons

Despite conservative criticism, WAP has performed incredibly well since its release in early August. After the glowing success of Cardi’s debut LP Invasion of Privacy, which won her best rap album at the 2019 Grammys, questions were raised about her long-term popularity after a quieter 2019. However, she has bounced back with the stunning popularity of WAP. Less than a month after release, the WAP music video had 200 million views on YouTube. In addition, the 93,000,000 US streams it gained in its first week after release are the most for any track. Ever. And Cardi herself doesn’t seem too bothered by the uproar. Talking to i-D magazine, she stated about the backlash: “It makes me happy. They keep talking and the numbers keep going up.” More than a month after WAP’s release, the popularity doesn’t seem to be waning, with it gaining platinum certification on 15/09/20. WAP, the team-up of two of rap’s biggest female stars, shows little sign of slowing down due to conservative backlash. Instead, it is succeeding because of the same thing Shapiro and others are criticising it over: its blatant celebration of women’s sexual empowerment and pleasure.

ST.ART does not own the rights to any images used in this article.