Cardi B and Megan thee Stallion in their Youtube video “WAP.” Photo cred: Screenshot from Youtube.
By Yeymy Garcia, Production Editor
When I watched the release of the “WAP” music video by Cardi B ft. Megan thee Stallion last Friday, I was upset by how much Cardi B was rapping and not enough Megan. I didn’t realize it was a Cardi B song until after it was over and even though I’m not the biggest fan of her, I still enjoyed how beautiful they both looked and I enjoyed the cameos by artists Normani, Rosalia, and Mulatto.
I didn’t think much of the song, I just added it to my Megan playlist on Spotify and listened to it a few times over the weekend. Granted, since I’m a #hottie, I’m pretty accustomed to Megan’s lyrics. It wasn’t until Tuesday when my friend sent me this tweet that I found out that Cardi B and Megan were receiving hate for their song, by mostly men.
It kind of blows my mind how little I thought about the lyrics while people like Ben Shapiro and James Bradley were offended by how “vulgar” it was that Bradley tweeted he had to “pour holy water” in his ears and he felt “sorry for future girls if this is their role model.”
But I’m so confused. Aren’t these the same songs that men sing too and no one blinks an eye?
Take “Pop that Pussy” by 2 Live Crew. Cardi B’s “WAP” stands for “wet-ass pussy” but less in your face (I guess).
2 Live Crew raps, “I like big booty and big ol’ titties/ Bitch, you know you’ve been fucked by many,” “I get hard after seeing you/ How hard?/ Hard as a rock/ When you make that pussy pop,” and the chorus says “pop that pussy!” eight times but when Cardi raps, “Yeah, you fuckin’ with some wet-ass pussy/ Bring a bucket and mop for this wet-ass pussy/ Give me everything you got for this wet-ass pussy” it’s “shameless” and “savage.”
Those were the words rapper Cee Lo Green used to describe Cardi’s song in an interview for Far Out magazine.
“A lot of music today is very unfortunate and disappointing on a personal and moral level,” Green said. “There was once a time when we were savvy enough to code certain things. We could express to those it was meant for with the style of language we used. But now music is shameless, it is sheer savagery…We are adults. There should be a time and a place for adult content.”
He also takes a dig at another female rapper, Nicki Minaj, saying that she should be using her platform more “constructively.”
“You have the ‘Heads of State,’ like Nicki Minaj or someone who is up there in accolade: success, visibility, a platform to influence. Nicki could be effective in so many other constructive ways, but it feels desperate.”
And lastly, he said Cardi B and Megan are just looking for attention.
“Attention is also a drug and competition is around,” Green said. “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. I get it all…it comes at what cost?”
Why does it have to cost them anything? Why doesn’t it cost men? This all coming from a man who has been accused of rape and had to delete his twitter account twice for saying it isn’t rape if the person is unconcious.
If Green is going to criticize female rappers, he needs to hold male rappers to the same standards. Men rap about “fucking” a girl and disposing them later and sexually portraying women in music videos for their own viewing pleasure.
The first music video that came to my mind (it always comes to my mind when I hear about women getting hate for portraying their bodies in music videos and singing about sex) is “Man of the Year” by rapper Schoolboy Q.
Schoolboy Q raps, “Titty, ass, hands in the air, it’s a party over here/ Shake it for the man of the year” and “Bruh man, that bitch need a pound.”
There are so many songs and music videos that exploit women like this, but it’s wrong for a woman to sing about her own body and sexual pleasure. Our own president is allowed to say, “Grab ‘em by the pussy” and it’s baffling. In the words of twitter user @Sk_venable in response to Megan’s earlier tweet: “At this point all I hear is ‘how dare you own and celebrate your sexuality so I can’t exploit it.”
Whether women want to express their sexuality explicitly or “coded” (see “God is a Woman” by Ariana Grande), it doesn’t matter. Men can’t use female sexuality for their own personal gain anymore because pussy grabs back. Either hold men to the same standards, or just leave Cardi B alone.
