Cardi B’s Sexy ‘WAP’ Rides Controversy to the Top
Atlantic Records Co-Chairman Julie Greenwald knew she had a smash hit the moment she heard Cardi B’s new single “WAP.” She also knew she needed to clean it up for radio.
Stations around the country wouldn’t play the original version of the song, an ode to female sexual empowerment the title of which refers to genitalia. To ensure the song got the widest distribution possible, Atlantic had Cardi record an edited version, “Wet and Gushy”; an edited version for radio, “Wet, Wet, Wet”; and then a super-clean radio version.
These edits haven’t spared the song from controversy. Right-wing talk-show hosts have lamented its lyrics as too salacious for young ears—a criticism of hip-hop that’s as old as the genre itself. Yet all that attention has only fed the machine.
“WAP” is now making a late claim as the song of summer. It’s been the most streamed song on Spotify for three weeks in a row, and was the most watched video on YouTube the week it was released. Cardi was also the most popular act on Instagram in August by a huge margin, earning her the top spot in the latest edition of Bloomberg’s Pop Star Power Rankings.
“I’ve been doing it for 28 years. If there’s one thing we know, there will always be people who have a negative opinion,” said Greenwald, who has worked with Jay-Z, DMX, Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran. “Did I think congressional leaders would weigh in? No. But we knew people would say this is so over-the-top explicit. She knew it. That girl is so tough.”
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“WAP” is the first single from Cardi B’s second album, a follow-up to “Invasion of Privacy,” the Grammy-winning hit machine that established the former reality-TV character as the next big hip-hop superstar. The album debuted atop the Billboard charts, and produced two different singles that did the same (the first time a female rapper has done that).
After taking a brief break in 2019, Cardi B wanted her first song back to be her biggest yet. While major stars like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar have become fond of the surprise album drop, Cardi wanted to build enthusiasm the entire week leading up to her release.
She announced the new record to fans using social media, and spent much of the week signing vinyl jackets for people who paid for a limited edition of the song. The Thursday night before its Aug. 7 release, she staged a virtual red-carpet premiere on YouTube alongside Megan Thee Stallion, who is featured on the track.
Cardi B had a baby in the middle of her previous album promotion cycle, hosting “Saturday Night Live” while pregnant and performing at the American Music Awards just three months after giving birth. While she has created an image of herself as a braggadocious girl from the hood with no filter, that casual verbal style masks one of the hardest workers in the record business.
When weighing what song to pick for her return, she wanted a track that advocated for female solidarity. Tired of stories that pit women against one another, she recruited Megan Thee Stallion, a rising star, to record the song with her. The music video is filled with other female musicians of color on the come-up, including Rosalía, Normani and Mulatto.
Much of the controversy reflects a double standard for women in music, according to Greenwald. Countless hip-hip hits from male artists talk about women in salacious ways, and many advocate violence. Eminem recorded an entire song about killing his wife.
“It had everything to do with the fact that she’s a young, gorgeous woman, and Megan is a young, gorgeous woman,” Greenwald said. “How dare they be so bold? It’s also why so many people have rallied behind it, are playing it and loving it.”
While Cardi wasn’t thrilled about having to clean up her music, she isn’t going to complain about the results. Streaming services, radio stations and YouTube all promoted the heck out of it, driving the biggest streaming debut in history.