WAP (song)

"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", adding, "the detailed play-by-play in the verses doesn't aim to impress guys—and that, the song suggests, is why Cardi and Meg's expertise is credible," as they "center themselves as women in order to freely celebrate their coveted power, sex appeal, and A1 WAP."[18] 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, extremely vividly detailed" in the song that "luxuriates in raunch".[15] Rania Aniftos of Billboard described the song as a "twerk-ready, scorching banger".[22] Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times deemed it a "savage, nasty, sex-positive triumph" and stated that "the women's vocal exuberance is the show—the way they tear into each perfectly rendered lyric and chew up the words like meat".[21] From the same paper, Christi Carras wrote that the song "carries a political weight that men rapping about sex doesn't".[23] For The A.V. Club, Shannon Miller stated that "the anthemic salute to total, unabashed sexual agency" shows both rappers with a "straightforward delivery and collective vibrancy" that "exudes a spirit that is as rebellious as it is fun."[24] Writing for Vulture, Craig Jenkins considered the song "class-A Filth for the ages", writing, "the main thrust here is the lyrics, there is so much thrusting going on in the lyrics".[25] In Stereogum, Chris DeVille commented that the song "has big lead-single energy" as it is "a convergence of two of the biggest stars in rap".[26]

Brianna Holt of Complex wrote, "Both Cardi and Megan are powerhouses of female sexuality, independence, and dominance," and deemed the song "the epitome of female empowerment", adding, "Art like 'WAP' could not be more valuable and necessary during a time when people are actively trying to unlearn their own biases and recognizing ways that they contribute to the neglect of Black women."[27] NBC journalist Susanne Ramírez de Arellano called the song "a joyful role reversal" and "the triumph of delicious filth", writing, "with rapid-fire flow and endlessly quotable one-liners, the two hip hop stars create a female sex-positive anthem as they trade lyrics and grab back the genre's sexual narratives from 'hard' male rappers". She added that "[it] is as honest and tasteful" as a song can get when it is about something like the explicitness of female pleasure and female desire, "that men still consider too vulgar for words".[28] For The Guardian, Dream McClinton wrote, "the hit collaboration between the two rappers has become a belated song of the summer, empowering women and enraging prudes along the way... [it] should be celebrated, not scolded".[29] 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".[30] In another article from Pitchfork, Jayson Greene said that it "has become the song of this bizarre summer—a ripe, split-open sex jam", deeming it "joyfully explicit", "glorious" and "full of graphic detail".[31] Raisa Bruner of Time mentioned that "few rappers today have the cultural cache" of Cardi and Megan, trading verses "with barely a break to catch a breath" and "their shared sense of humor, playfulness and eyebrow-raising delight."[32]

Conservative online website The Federalist's contributor Libby Emmons gave the song a negative review, calling it "a slip 'n slide down a rabbit hole of grossness" and "incredibly boring musically". Emmons further wrote "It's brazen and brash, and we're probably meant to believe it's empowering, but what it really does is deprive sex of mystery and remove seduction from the process."[33]

"WAP" has been criticized by many social conservatives in the United States. James P. Bradley, a health industry executive who was running for a California congressional seat on the Republican ticket, said he heard the song accidentally; he 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.[34] His response was criticized across social media, with users questioning the validity of Bradley's supposedly "accidental" discovery of the song and finding his criticism of the rappers as role models for young women hypocritical due to his support of Donald Trump.[35][36] August Brown of the Los Angeles Times wrote that, contrary to Bradley's comments, Megan "did indeed have a strong father figure" and Cardi "is no stranger to faith".[34]

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," noting that Cardi received support from Democratic United States Senators Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris.[28][37] Lorraine was criticized on social media for her statements, in part for claiming to encourage the empowerment of women while undermining a song performed by two women, which many users considered hypocritical.[38][36]

Conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro criticized the song's message, sarcastically stating, "This is what feminism fought for," in a video that includes him giving a plain reading of the song's lyrics, many of which he censors.[39] Shapiro was widely mocked by social media users, as well as on Desus & Mero, for his reading of it.[40][41] He also claimed on his Twitter account that his "only real concern" was Cardi and Megan's vaginal health after his wife called vaginal lubrication, that would cause women to "apparently require a 'bucket and a mop'", a health condition.[42][43] This claim was directly debunked by prominent gynecologists including Daniel Grossman and Jen Gunter, and mocked as a "self-own" by social media users.[44][45][46] In her column for The New York Times, Gunter considered the song "an actual cultural reference, a public celebration, to use while talking with women".[47] A viral remix of Shapiro reading the lyrics was made by DJ iMarkKeyz, who had previously gained notoriety for his remix of Cardi's rant on COVID-19.[48] Reacting to Shapiro, Arwa Mahdawi in The Guardian opined, "There's something about women (black women to boot!) taking charge of their sexuality that drives conservatives up the wall" and said that he "doesn't seem particularly well acquainted with female anatomy".[49]

Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson criticized the song on his talk show Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News, saying that "it's aimed at young American girls—maybe your girls, your granddaughters and what is it doing to them? Can you imagine what it's doing to them?", adding, "the people pushing it clearly are trying to hurt your children".[50]

On her Twitter account, Cardi wrote, "I can't believe conservatives soo mad about WAP,"[51][52] and responded to an article stating that conservatives wanted the song banned by saying, "This is kinda iconic and I'm living for it."[53] Megan Thee Stallion responded to the backlash in an interview with Time, saying, "When I saw all of the politicians in an uproar about mine and Cardi's 'WAP', I was just really taken aback. Like, why is this your focus right now? If you have an issue with what I’m saying, don’t listen to it."[54] For Rolling Stone, editor Charles Holmes wrote, "When the right wing gets mad about two women of color rapping about sex, it's not a coincidence...four days after its initial release, 'WAP' has transformed from a supremely enjoyable Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion song into a symbol of something different, yet equally interesting", adding "contrary to popular belief, Republicans aren't offended by the thought of sex...what they are furious about is the racial and economic make-up of who gets to enjoy and speak about sex".[55] Cassie Da Costa of The Daily Beast called Shapiro and Bradley's statements about the song "puritanical pearl-clutching", opining that they "constitute the kind of performative moral panics that are so baldly opportunistic as to render them banal".[56] Alyssa Rosenberg of The Washington Post opined that outraged conservatives that "attack raunchy or violent pop culture always" promote an idea that "culture should be smaller rather than more expansive" and further added, "honestly, we could use more culture that isn't appropriate for everyone".[57] In The Boston Globe, Ty Burr criticized "[the] outraged commentators who feel that it's too sexual, too vulgar", writing, "Vulgar sexuality is a hallowed aspect of American popular culture and has been even before Elvis Presley dry-humped the microphone stand on The Milton Berle Show in 1956."[58]

British comedian Russell Brand posted a video to social media entitled "WAP: Feminist Masterpiece or Porn?", in which he discussed whether or not the song and accompanying video were truly empowering to women, asking whether women "achieve equality by aspiring to and replicating the values that have been established by males", calling the song "a sort of capitalist objectification and commodification of, in this case, the female.” He went on to compare the song's feminism to that of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher, who he said was not a feminist as she was "extolling [and] espousing male values".[59][60] Brand received backlash for his comments online, and many social media users accused Brand of mansplaining feminism.[61][62][63] Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Katie Glass called Brand a hypocrite for lecturing people on feminism in spite of being "a man who humiliated a woman who'd slept with him by taunting her grandfather about it on national radio...[and] who has joked about his sexual prowess," and for criticizing the video's supposed promotion of capitalism shortly after allegedly purchasing a $3 million mansion in Hollywood Hills and owning a £3.3 million home in Oxfordshire.[64]

In an interview for Far Out Magazine which came out two days after the release of "WAP", American singer CeeLo Green criticized Cardi and Megan for having adult content in their lyrics, saying, "Attention is also a drug...Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, they are all more or less doing similar salacious gesturing to kinda get into position. I get it, the independent woman and being in control, the divine femininity and sexual expression...[but] it comes at what cost?” which many assumed was a direct reference to "WAP".[65][66] Many social media users and critics accused Green of sexism and hypocrisy due to Green's own use of "adult content" in his lyrics, as well as his 2014 tweets in which he claimed that rape cannot occur if the victim is unconscious.[67][68] Green later apologized for his comments via Instagram, writing that there was a "misunderstanding" regarding his quote, and going on to say that "as a fan" of the mentioned female rappers "I would never disrespect them all as powerful, beautiful, and influential women," also writing, "I wholeheartedly apologize to each of them for the inconvenience they have been caused due to a snippet of my interview being used as a headline."[69]

Australian journalist Wendy Squires criticised "WAP" in the The Sydney Morning Herald, calling it "a piece of sensationalist schlock that reinforces misogynistic views of women as mere receptacles".[70]

The song became highly popular on social media service TikTok, with millions of videos showing up of people performing a "floor-caressing 'WAP' dance" to the WAP.[71] The dance routine that went viral was first recorded by YouTube choreographer Brian Esperon of Guam and features a high kick, gyrations on the floor and ends with the splits.[72] It was recorded and posted to social media the same day as the track's release and re-shared by Cardi B to Instagram and Twitter. It garnered hundreds of thousands of views and led to the "WAP Challenge" on TikTok,[73] with the related hashtag racking up more than 1.5 billion views in one month.[74] Jennifer Lopez released a WAP Challenge TikTok video based on Esperon's choreography assembled from dance clips in her movie Hustlers.[75]

"WAP" was the most-acclaimed song of 2020 according to a compilation of rankings made by the BBC,[7] with several critics identifying it as the best song of the year. The following is a selected list of publications.

Cardi and Megan in the mansion rooms covered in animal print and Willy Wonka-esque design, respectively.[115][116]

The video shows Cardi and Megan walking through a colorful mansion, and showcases different rooms throughout it, with water dripping through different doorways.[16] Cardi and Megan open the video in the mansion hallway, wearing custom Nicolas Jebran dresses, with long trains, opera gloves, and matching updos. During Cardi'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.[110] 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. 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 garment. The pool scene includes a dance routine choreographed by JaQuel Knight and performed by both artists.[117][11][118][115][119] The video also includes cameos from Kylie Jenner, Normani, Rosalía, Mulatto, Rubi Rose, and Sukihana.[10]

Writing for Billboard, Trevor Anderson commented that "[the] widely viewed music video transformed from just a promotional clip into a pop-culture phenomenon".[120] Claire Shaffer and Althea Legaspi of Rolling Stone called the video "steamy" and "sensual".[117] Chris Murphy of Vulture described the video as "very Dr. Seuss, but make it NSFW in a fun way".[11] In Complex, Brianna Holt commented, "during a time when Black women have taken to social media to advocate for their protection and support, while basking in their blackness, 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, with unmatched confidence".[27] 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".[29] 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".[58]

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".[57] 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."[121] 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 one’s attention" and "deserves praise" despite the "lightning rod for very dumb controversy" that generated.[84]

Writing for Pitchfork, Eric Torres considered it the best music video released in August 2020, 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".[122] 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."[80]

Fan reactions to Kylie Jenner's cameo in the video were markedly negative.[123][124][125] 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.[126][127] A petition on Change.org which aimed to remove Jenner from the video received over 65,000 signatures, while a number of Twitter users suggested replacing Jenner with Betty White.[128][129]

Cardi 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."[130] Foster referred to the petition as "bullshit".[112]

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 said, "It glamorizes the idea of rich people having 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, shocking and starving cats to make them stand on cue in front of a green screen in a studio."[131][132] Cardi 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."[133] 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."[134]

The song debuted at number one on United States Spotify songs chart with over 2.34 million streams, becoming the first female rap collaboration to do so.[135] "WAP" also debuted at number one on the US Apple Music songs chart—the platform's highest ever debut by a female artist—extending Cardi B's record as the female artist with the most chart-toppers in the service (7).[136]

"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. "WAP" became the first female rap collaboration to debut at number one on the Hot 100. Cardi B also became the only female rapper to achieve Hot 100 number one singles in two different decades (2010s and 2020s).[136] The song was driven by 93 million streams, 125,000 downloads and 11.6 million radio airplay impressions. Multiple autographed physical/digital combinations on Cardi B's webstore contributed to the sales figure in the tracking week. As the song topped the Billboard Digital Song Sales and Streaming Songs charts, it became Cardi'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, besting the previous record held by Ariana Grande's "7 Rings" (85.3 million), and earned the most weekly streams for a song in 2020, surpassing the 77.2 million total of Roddy Ricch's "The Box". "WAP" also generated the most weekly on-demand US audio streams among songs by female artists, with 54.7 million streams, again surpassing "7 Rings", and earned the largest sales week for a song since Taylor Swift's "Me!" featuring Brendon Urie (193,000 copies). "WAP" further reached number-one on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, marking Cardi's fifth number-one entry on the former and fourth on the latter, and Megan's second on both.[137] "WAP" became the 23rd number-one song to achieve at least twice the weekly Hot 100 points of the runner-up title, which was "Rockstar" by DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch that week, with Billboard calling it "one of the most dominant Hot 100 number ones of the last 30 years".[120] "WAP" was certified gold by the RIAA seven days after its release.

"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" topped for three weeks in December 2019–January 2020.[138] For the chart issue dated September 26, "WAP" achieved a fourth non-consecutive week atop the chart, surpassing "Bodak Yellow" as Cardi B's longest-running number one single as a lead artist on the Hot 100.[139]

"WAP" debuted at number one on the Rolling Stone Top 100 chart, where it has spent seven non-consecutive weeks atop.[140] "WAP" also debuted at number one on the Canadian Hot 100, becoming Cardi B's second chart-topper and Megan's first. It has spent four non-consecutive weeks atop the chart.[141]

"WAP" 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.[142] In the US, Cardi has achieved three times the best-performing song of the year by a female artist—the only act to do so this century—with "WAP" (2020) joining "Bodak Yellow" (2017) and "I Like It" (2018).[143]

In Australia, "WAP" became the third female hip hop song to top the ARIA Singles Chart, and the first since 1992.[144] It has spent six weeks atop the chart, becoming the longest-running number one song by a female hip hop artist in the country, surpassing the previous record set by Salt-N-Pepa's "Let's Talk About Sex".[145]

In the United Kingdom, "WAP" debuted at number four on the UK Singles Chart on the August 14–August 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–September 10, 2020 chart―becoming 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.[146][147] The song spent three weeks at the top of the chart before it was followed by "Mood" by 24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior.[148]

In the Republic of Ireland, it became the first number one single for both artists on the Irish Singles Chart, where it has spent three weeks at the top.[149]

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 has remained atop the chart for six weeks in the country.[150]

The song debuted at number six on global Spotify 3.75 million streams. Shortly after, "WAP" topped the global Spotify chart, making Cardi B the only female rapper to top the chart multiple times—following her collaboration with DJ Snake "Taki Taki",[136] and becoming the first female rap collaboration to do so.[135] It also became the fastest song by a female artist to reach number one on global Apple Music.[136] The music video broke the record for the most views within 24 hours for a female collaboration, with over 26.5 million views.[27] Cardi B was ranked at number one on Bloomberg's August 2020 Pop Star Power Ranking due to the success of "WAP".[151] She also set a record for most monthly listeners on Spotify for a female rapper, surpassing 50.9 million.[152] Released in August, it was the 20th most streamed song of 2020 in global Apple Music, the most streamed female rap song, and the most-read song lyrics on the platform.[153][154]

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. U.S. 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. U.S. Chart during the charts inaugural week of September 4, 2020.[155][156] It has topped the Global 200 chart for three non-consecutive weeks.[157]