Why the Arguments Against "WAP" Are Wrong
Critics Are Still Coming for "WAP" Left and Right, But Don't Worry — I Have Rebuttals
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Lol dudes will scream “slob on my knob” word for word and crying abt WAP 😂 bye lil boy
— HOT GIRL MEG (@theestallion) August 11, 2020
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are not the first women to release provocative music relating to women's sexual freedom, and they won't be the last. Lil' Kim, for example, is regarded as one of the OG's of the rap game, and her notoriously raunchy lyrics are part of what earned her that title. She broke boundaries and reclaimed degrading, sexual terminology that was used to objectify women and made it empowering instead.
Sexuality is also a ubiquitous concept in hip-hop and rap music, and it's not as though Cardi B's or Megan Thee Stallion's previous content shies away from sexual themes. What seems to cause commotion, however, is when explicit terminology like "wet ass p*ssy" is used by female artists. Because let's face it: from Lil Wayne to Chris Brown, many male hip-hop artists have made their way to the mainstream by rapping and singing about sex in some of the most vulgar ways possible (and they continue to do so without even a second glance). They talk about what positions they like, what kind of women they find attractive, and what sexual activities they want to perform –– oftentimes describing these things in as much, if not more detail than WAP does.
There's no place for gender-based double standards in 2020, let alone in the arts. And at the end of the day, it may not suit everyone's palate, but there's nothing wrong (or at least there shouldn't be) with female artists creating bold, sex-positive music.