WAP it Up
In case you missed it, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion released a new song on August 7th that is making (literal) waves online. WAP, which stands for "Wet Ass Pussy", is absolutely drowning in controversy. From PETA to grandparents, everyone has something to say about the single. Does it empower women or deter from feminism? Does it support black women, or reinforce white privilege? Are those big cats being exploited? Where do I buy that leopard print bodysuit?
Although WAP provides an endless well of topics to dive into, I'm focusing on the double standards for women in rap. Never did I think a video featuring boob water fountains would be at the centre of feminist dialogue, but hey, here we are. Ready to gush?
Bring a Bucket and a Mop
Since the release of WAP, the public has gone wild with criticisms. The song is too raunchy, too explicit, too sexy, etc...This is not the first or the last time a female artist will be told to tone it down. Honestly it seems to be a constant in the media. If your outfit isn't too slutty, then you're probably dating around too much.
The people want their women clean, but not wet.
And if you're young and chaste? Well then the internet probably has a countdown to your 18th birthday, so you can't escape the sexual comments anyway. It's a lose/lose situation, and there's always been fine line between "snob" and "whore" in the tabloids. Granted, WAP leaps across that line and draws out a whole new rubric on the other side. For some people this is empowering, for others it's an irresponsible use of the platform. Either way, if you haven’t listened I recommend headphones...
Like always, the Debbie Downers have flocked to Twitter to share their disapproval. Many voices are calling for the song to be banned or pointing out lyrics they think are too offensive. Here are some of my personal favourites:
Considering your concern is FATHERLESS homes, which gender do we think is the real issue? Fucking ridiculous DeAnna. Get your head on straight.
I highly doubt that was an accidental listen, but whatever you say James...
Even fellow-artist CeeLo Green came out of the woodwork to call WAP "shameless” and “disappointing on a personal and moral level.” Funny comments coming from a dude who got famous from a song called “Fuck You”, but I digress.
One of the loudest criticisms has come from none other than ultra-conservative Ben Shapiro. While reading the lyrics aloud, Shapiro joked that the song is “what the feminist movement was all about. It’s not really about women being treated as independent, full, rounded human beings. It’s about wet ass p-word. And if you say anything differently you’re a misogynist.”
I would argue that independent, full, rounded women also have p-words, but I hear his point. The sexually aggressive tone is not for everyone. Even staunch feminists may have a hard time swallowing down such vulgar lyrics. That said, controversy and shock factor are devices we use to spark conversation. No one would be discussing this song if it was called “Slightly Aroused Lady Parts”.
Or maybe they would. That’s a pretty terrible song title.
At any rate, if we’re going to pick apart song lyrics to make character attacks, I have a few suggestions on where we can focus our energy….
Lil Wayne for The Heights
Whip it Up
The WAP haters have reason to think the song is offensive. It is. Women talking about their genitals is garish, but this isn't new theme in rap. Men have been saying outlandish things about their private parts for years. Lest we forget such classics as "Deez Nuts" by Dr. Dre or "Lollipop" by Lil Wayne. If we’re going to home in on WAP for being too explicit, then these artists shouldn’t get a pass. Dicks are genitals too, so let’s be equally critical.
For example, here are some of my favourite words from “One More Chance” by The Notorious B.I.G.
Honeys call me "Bigga the Condom Filler" / Whether it's stiff tongue or stiff dick / Biggie squeeze it to make shit fit....
...I got that good dick, girl, you didn't know? / Sex get rougher when it come to the nut buster / Pussy crusher, black nasty motherfucker
How quaint and tasteful. Gentlemanly, even. That’s one example, but we all know that this kind of language is rampant in rap. Here are some more just for fun:
"I got a ten foot pole that'll go in your hole, take yo soul/Make nut come out yo nose/Fall all on yo clothes" - Ying Yang Twins
"Would you like a tissue?/You gon' need it for the cum up in your nose, babygirl, cause you sucking my cock!" - Cam'Ron
"Cause I'm a pump you up, cold split your clit/Then let you cum in my mouth while you suck my dick/Then I'm a turn you over, belly up bitch/And lick that ass right where you shit" - Mark Sexx
And, to finish off, a classic line from the truest poet the world has ever known, Lil Wayne: "Almost drowned in her pussy so I swam to her butt.”
Impeccable. Lil Wayne I love you.
All I’m trying to show is that vulgar lyrics are part of the genre. We have allowed male artists to discuss their penises at length (and at width, and at girth), so why can’t women do the same? Personally I think “pussy crusher” is way more offensive than “wet ass pussy". Vaginas are meant to get lubricated, not crushed - at least as far as I understand anatomy.
If we’re being totally fair, penis lyrics also aren’t limited to rap. No no, unsolicited dicks show up all across the music industry. Take, for instance, these profound and expressive lyrics from Led Zeppelin:
Squeeze me baby, till the juice runs down my leg / The way you squeeze my lemon, ah/ I'm gonna fall right out of bed
That song, by the way, came out in 1969. So how is it that in 2020 people are losing their damn minds over Wet Ass Pussy? Aren't we used to aggressive genital talk by now?
There’s Some Whores in This House
Recently I wrote about the orgasm gap and the pitfalls of sexual education. In school there is such a focus on the mechanics of intercourse that female pleasure gets pushed to the side. We understand sex as something that starts and ends with male erection and ejaculation. It's presented as something passive that happens to women. Unfortunately that line of thinking yields generations of women who don’t know how to discover their own sexual preferences or ask for what they want in bed.
This tweet captures it best:
Surprise! Women like sex too, so why do they have to be muzzled in their lyrics? It's still shocking to hear a woman discussing sex in the explicit ways that men do, and it really shouldn't be.
To me, this is where the heart of the WAP controversy lies. Not that it’s obscene, but that we aren’t accustomed to women being obscene. Not that it’s distasteful, but that we aren’t able to comprehend how a lady could be so distasteful, even though male rappers do it all the time. It sounds way different when a man raps “suck my dick” than when a woman says “Put this pussy right in your face / Swipe your nose like a credit card”. Really though, what’s the difference?
Personally, I think it’s hilarious. It's still a novelty for women to objectify men in their songs. That credit card line makes me laugh every time. Sorry if it makes you cringe, but “suck my dick” has been making me cringe for years.
In the wise words of men everywhere: “Get over it. It’s just a joke.”
The Bigger, Harder Problem
As much as I would love to poke holes in slut-shaming logic forever, there’s a much more disturbing issue I want to bring up:
Getting mad at women for singing about their vaginas is easy.
Holding male artists accountable for their actions is hard.
Beyond the long history rap and hip hop stars have with drugs and violence, there is a heavily documented track record for domestic abuse as well. People can debate the ethics of WAP or the moral obligation entertainers have to their young fans all day long, but I find it laughable that we still aren’t discussing the legal obligations male rappers have to not beat up women. While Cardi and Megan are out offending Ben Shapiro with their skimpy video, male performers are burying footage of abuse, child pornography, and sexual assault.
I’m not exaggerating, there is literal video evidence of multiple male performers having sex with children.
R. Kelly is the best example of a male hip hop artist who was also a sociopathic abuser. If you haven’t watched the documentary “Surviving R. Kelly,” you should. He got away with his crimes for years, but there are many other examples of performers who either have never been held accountable or who got off lightly.
For example:
Chris Brown is a known abuser with a long history of punching women and threatening them with guns.
Eminem beat up a blow-up version of his ex wife on stage leading to her suicide attempt.
6ix9ine pleaded guilty to posting a video of a 13-year-old having sex with his friend.
Fabolous had a video released of him verbally threatening his partner after previously punching her in the face 7 times and knocking out her front teeth.
Kelis came out saying that Nas used to regularly hit her after nights out partying.
XXXTentacion verbally confessed to beating his girlfriend and stabbing 9 people.
The list goes on and on and on. The violence against women in this space is rampant, so remind me again why we care about the WAP lyrics?
I am someone who believes in separating art from artist. I think a world can exist where I sing along to “The Real Slim Shady” and also maintain that Eminem is an abuser. It's high time we recognize that that our entertainers are flawed. Some are monsters, others are just regular people who take fashion risks and date assholes. To me, it’s important to allow for that distance between the person and the product.
Making a song you love or hate shouldn't dictate your entire perception of a person, and the character attacks coming out of WAP are extremely unnecessary. A song about getting wet doesn’t make Cardi and Megan “sluts” or terrible "role models" in the same way that “I Believe I can Fly” doesn’t make R. Kelly a good, religious person. Singing about having a big dick doesn’t make yours bigger either. That’s not how manifesting works.
Cardi says it herself: “I never claim to be perfect or come from a perfect world wit [sic] a perfect past I always speak my truth I always own my shit." For some reason, that statement is revolutionary. We expect perfection from our female artists to be the best leaders, sex icons, and beauty guides around, but that's just not realistic. If we're going to expect anything from our entertainers, let's expect basic human decency and a respect for the law. I think that would be a great place to start.
All You Ladies Pop That Pussy Like This
All that said, there is a way simpler point to be made:
If we can allow space for male artists like Fetty Wap to make shitty music about sex, why can’t we let female artists do the same? WAP doesn’t have to be life changing for it to exist. It can just be another garbage song we forget about until someone puts it in a 2020 compilation track.
Women, in the rap space especially, are often pitted against each other in a kind of tokenism. Only one lady is allowed at a time. Too many vaginas are off-putting and hard to sell, so instead we read headline after headline about Nicki vs Cardi. You get one superstar to root for, and the rest lay in wait. The standard for women to constantly justify their work, art, and value is insane, especially when compared to male artists who don’t even have to justify their felony charges.
If Cardi B wants to rap about her body, let her. If Megan wants to rap about a house plant, let her. If people want to listen to it, let them. It should be so simple. And it is that simple for many male entertainers.
Have any of you listened to the new Blink 182 song? That should be evidence enough that the standard is set extremely low. Like holy crap guys. It’s so bad.
The New Yorker shared these same sentiments beautifully:
“[E]ven if these women had nothing to offer but their presence, their music void of palatable substance or the trappings of aggro club anthems, even if the kinds of complaints that suggest their music is inferior were actually true (they’re not), they would still be owed the space. They would still deserve to be allowed to make music for music’s sake—the kind that exists for no reason other than that it felt good coming out of their bodies—just as many men are.”
Amen to that.
I don’t think WAP has to be the new feminist anthem. It's just a song. Two women having a good time and being creative. Maybe you get more from it than that, maybe you don’t. But the point should be that we are allowing talented women to take the stage in whatever way that they want to. It really isn’t fair to expect them to carry the feminist torch. Men who rap about sex don’t have to have a political angle for doing so. They just get to do it. Sometimes they say something profound, but most of the time they talk about "swimming to the butt," or whatever other nonsense they can come up with about their sexual prowess.
Music is meant to be personal. Whatever song makes you feel good is worth having in the world. To me, WAP is a feminist banger, but I know a lot of women will disagree. At the end of the day, Ben Shapiro and CeeLo shouldn't be the ones who get to discuss how this song relates to female empowerment, women’s sexuality, or feminism. You know why?
Because they don’t have Wet Ass Pussies.
