WAP & The Return of Women in Whore Rap
Dear WAP, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”
When I first saw the cover art for Cardi B and Megan THEE Stallion’s new song, “WAP”, I immediately knew that we were in for a treat. It’s been 9 months since Cardi released any new music, and Megan is still riding the success that’s come from her collaboration with Beyonce on “Savage (Remix)”. There was no hesitation or doubt in my mind, that they were going to deliver all that was promised to me in that one simple picture. The tongues out, the door knocker earrings, and the perfectly curled 90s updo hairstyle hinted at the perfect blending of both of their styles. In my opinion, that picture of the two of them seemed like a statue at the entrance of the promised land for Black Womyn.
As a black girl born in the Dirty South, I immediately recognized Frank Ski’s iconic voice saying, “There’s some whores in this house” because it was famously sampled for Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz “I Like Dem Girlz”. As soon as I heard Cardi say, “Certified freak, seven days a week”, I sat up straighter in my seat. From beginning to end, with the exception of one glaring, unnecessary, and vibe-killing moment, this video gave me everything that I needed.
It’s downright filthy, slutty, nasty, and I loved every single second of it. There’s nothing sexier to me than Black Womyn owning every inch of their sexual agency and talking their shit while doing it. “I want you to park that Mack Truck right in my little garage”, “I don’t cook, I don’t clean, but let me tell you, I got this ring”, “If he ate my ass, he’s a bottom feeder, Big D stands for big demeanor, I could make ya cum before I ever meet ya”...MY GOD. Need I go on? With every, I found myself screaming “GO OFF SISTREN” to my television screen.
And it’s not just the lyrics, the visuals are out of control as well. You can tell that Atlantic Music did not spare any damn expense. The bright colors of hot pink, yellow, lime green, and purple really made their melanin pop and caused me salivate over the both of them like a pack of Nigh’ Laders. The choreography was in a league of its own. The hip thrusts, the cry baby hunching on the ground, the hair tossing, the grinding, the motherfucking splits! What more can I say? Every move enhanced and complemented their natural sensuality to create a moment that marks a critical point in the return of women in whore rap. If we could recreate the dance of the seven veils that Salome performed before the execution of John the Baptist but update it for 2020, it would look like this.
When I was younger, I listened to the words of Millie Jackson, who is the original queen of raunchy, but I was too young to pick up all of the gems that she dropped. As I got a bit older, I listened Lil’ Kim, Foxxy Brown, Trina, and Missy Elliott, but I still didn’t fully understand them. I knew they were talking that shit, but I didn’t have the life experience to fully connect with the words. These women are the pioneers, but I wasn’t old enough to get into the club when they were releasing their most well known nasty hits. While “Splash Waterfalls”, “Tip Drill”, and “Nasty Song” are all great songs that got the job done in a pinch, I missed the presence of women in songs like these. I needed them! It’s one thing to go back and listen to their old songs, but it’s another thing to experience it in college while you’re at a frat party. It just hits different when you’re in a club setting at the right age, if that makes any sense.
For too long, during my childhood, men were allowed to dominate the tracks in whore rap. Their lyrics focused around the degradation, submission, and sometimes, humiliation, of women, and it didn’t speak the dominant personality that’s always resided in me. I needed a woman’s perspective to know that it’s okay to not want to be someone’s fucking rib. It’s okay to treat men like they tricks that they are. Two can play that game, indeed. I don’t have to settle for missionary sex under the covers with the lights off. I can have it anyway I wanted with whoever I wanted. If I wanted to talk crudely about it in front of my peers, that’s okay too.
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Records
Listening to songs like “WAP” and rappers like the City Girls or Flo Milli is important for young Black Womyn because we’re forced at a young age to conform to what society expects us to be. We’re taught to repress ourselves, our personalities, and our urges/desires because none of those things align with the religious values that have been instilled in us by our parents. So many expectations are placed on women, especially Black Womyn, that trying to live up to those high goals can lead to nothing but anxiety, depression, and a whole list of other mental health issues. Black Womyn should be allowed to express their sexuality without fear of condemnation and alienation. Why should Black Womyn stifle themselves? Men have been absolute sluts in their lyrics, music videos, and off camera antics for years, but women can’t be? Says who? You’re trying to tell me that gender equality doesn’t include expressions of sexuality? Tuh!
Society clutches their pearls at the thought of a woman not giving a fuck what anybody thinks about her, her body, and whatever the fuck she decides to do with this. Women’s presence in whore rap forces men and other conservatives to face their slut/Madonna complexes and stand in the fact that they hate the existence of women they can’t control. It hasn’t even been a full 24 hours and men are on the internet talking shit about Megan and Cardi. Get over your fucking selves. Saying that they didn’t have a strong father figure or that they don’t know Jesus is weak sauce. You can have both of those things and still like to pop your pussy in a handstand. Just say you’re afraid that you might be emasculated in any interaction with a woman of this caliber and move on.
I welcome the return of women in whore rap, and I love how the rap girls are being inclusive in their efforts. They’re putting each other on, and I love to see the bonds of sisterhood that are forming between them. I hope that they continue to release songs and music videos that speak to their true reality. Not everybody wants to be a “pick me” or the sweet, innocent girl next door. I want to learn from the sisters who are out here sucking, fucking, stripping, sex working or doing whatever else the hell they want. They are a part of my community, and I value their lives and their insights. If we’re serious about liberation in the black community, then we must include the liberation of Black Womyn’s sexual agency in society. Period.
