Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” is an unapologetic and empowering representation of Black female sexuality that serves to revise the controlling images of colonization by establishing agency and reclaiming their sexual subjectivity (Railton and Watson, 2011, pp.87–107). Nineteenth-century discourses of exploration, colonization and sexual desire constructed black women as “animastically hypersexed bodies” accessible for the scrutiny and pleasure of their male audience (Railton and Watson, 2011, pp.95). According to Bell Hooks, traces of these images of hypersexual black femininity can still be observed in popular music by male artists through sexualized productions, like the lyrical and physical imageries that portray their “butt as an indication of heightened sexuality (Railton and Watson, 2011, pp.97).” However, in “WAP,” Cardi and Stallion use sexual spectacle to author their own performance of black feminine agency and define its narrative on their terms (Railton and Watson, 2011, pp.88). The song begins with a sample from Frank Ski’s “There’s Some Whores in This House,” foreshadowing the video’s content as the the camera takes the viewer on a tour through the house charmed by tigers and cheetahs, featuring rooms where the singers are joined by other artists performing their solo dances and demonstrating sexual prowess. Cardi starts the song by dismantling submissive female stereotypes in her opening verse with lyrics like “I don’t cook, I don’t clean, but let me tell you how I got this ring (Cardi B and Stallion, 2020).” Though the house’s arrangement is similar to Amsterdam’s Red Light District, the entire song focuses on female pleasure, liberation and womanhood (Holt, 2020). Thus, in a male-dominated genre criticized for misogynistic wordplay, the lyrical and visual content of “WAP” advocates black women to celebrate their sexuality at their own expense without catering to the male gaze, challenging their objectification. Furthermore, from the lack of compassion shown to Megan Thee Stallion  on social media after she was shot to the few efforts made by authoritative figures in the death of Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau, art like “WAP” is essential to tackle the neglect of Black women due to society’s biased lens and counter the adverse effects of misogynoir (Crumpton, 2020). 

Sources:

Cardi B and Stallion, M.T. (2020). WAP. [Streamed] USA: Atlantic Label.

Crumpton, T. (2020). Women in Hip-Hop Cannot Thrive While Misogynoir Exists. [online] Harper’s BAZAAR. Available at: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a33471010/megan-thee-stallion-shooting-misogynoir/  [Accessed 23 Nov. 2023].

Holt, B. (2020). Why Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s Empowering Anthem ‘WAP’ is So Important. [online] Complex. Available at: https://www.complex.com/music/a/brianna-holt/cardi-b-megan-thee-stallion-wap-essay  [Accessed 23 Nov. 2023].

Railton, D. and Watson, P. (2011). Music Video and the Politics of Representation. Edinburgh Edinburgh University Press, pp.87–107.

– Navya Gupta (33711097)