“WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion is a bold, controversial, and record-breaking anthem of female sexual empowerment and liberation. At its heart, the song is a powerful and unapologetic celebration of female desire, putting two women in complete control of their own sexual narratives. It famously flips the script on traditional hip-hop, where men often boast about their sexual experiences, and instead allows women to explicitly and humorously describe their own arousal, their preferences, and their power over men. The song uses the phrase “WAP” as a proud symbol of female confidence and sexual agency. In this article, we explore the meaning of this song, breaking down its metaphors and emotions.
Released in the summer of 2020, “WAP” became an instant cultural phenomenon. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and sparked a massive global conversation about female sexuality, censorship, and empowerment. It is a landmark collaboration between two of the biggest female rappers in the world, coming together to create a fun, shocking, and ultimately powerful statement about women owning their desires without shame.
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Setting the Stage: A Declaration of Sexual Freedom
The song kicks off by sampling a classic 1993 club song, “Whores in This House” by Frank Ski. By starting with this line, Cardi and Megan immediately reclaim a word that has been used to shame women for centuries. In this context, it’s not an insult; it’s a proud and defiant declaration of sexual freedom. Cardi then introduces the theme of the song with her opening line: “I said certified freak, seven days a week.” She is stating that her sexuality is a core part of her identity, something she is proud of.
The chorus is a masterclass in confident and humorous exaggeration. “Bring a bucket and a mop for this wet-ass pussy,” she demands. This line uses a funny and over-the-top image to boast about the intensity of her arousal. She is not shy or embarrassed about her body’s reaction to desire; instead, she presents it as something so powerful that it requires cleanup tools. It turns a private physical reaction into a public statement of extreme desirability and confidence.
Cardi B’s Verse: In Complete Control of the Encounter
In the first verse, Cardi B makes it clear that she is the one in charge of the sexual encounter. She gives a series of commands to her partner, from the aggressive (“Beat it up, nigga, catch a charge”) to the playful (“Let’s roleplay, I’ll wear a disguise”). She is in the dominant position, literally and figuratively: “Hop on top, I wanna ride.” She is an active participant in her own pleasure, not a passive object.
One of the most powerful parts of her verse is when she subverts traditional gender roles. “I don’t cook, I don’t clean / But let me tell you how I got this ring,” she says. She is rejecting the old-fashioned idea that a woman’s value is in her domestic skills. Instead, she asserts that her value—and the reason her partner committed to her—is her confidence, her personality, and her power, including her sexual power.
Megan Thee Stallion’s Verse: Pleasure, Power, and Profit
Megan Thee Stallion’s verse continues and amplifies the theme of female dominance and control. She makes it clear that she dictates the terms of any encounter. “I tell him where to put it, never tell him where I’m ’bout to be,” she raps. This shows that while she is in control during the act, she maintains her independence and freedom afterwards. She will not be controlled by a man: “I’ll run down on him ‘fore I have a nigga runnin’ me.”
Megan also cleverly links her sexual power to financial power. She advises women to “Ask for a car while you ride that dick.” She argues that her desirability is a form of currency. Her sexual appeal is so high, she claims, that a man is willing to give her anything she wants, even before sex happens: “He already made his mind up ‘fore he came.” She boasts that men have “paid my tuition just to kiss me,” framing her body and affection as a high-value prize that she is in complete control of.
A Proud and Explicit Celebration of Desire
The third and fourth verses are a tag-team effort where Cardi and Megan lay out their sexual preferences with even more explicit and unapologetic detail. They list what they want in a partner, using vivid metaphors like needing a “king cobra,” not a “garter snake,” to describe their desire for a well-endowed and powerful man. They are the ones with the high standards, and men must meet them.
The lyrics in these verses are intentionally shocking, describing specific sex acts in raw detail. However, the purpose is not just to shock, but to completely center the female perspective on sex. They talk about what they want, what they enjoy, and what they demand. Megan’s final lines, where she says she can “make ya bust before I ever meet ya” and will “spell my name” during sex, are ultimate declarations of her confidence, skill, and dominance. It’s a complete reversal of the typical hip-hop narrative.
The Story Behind The Song
“WAP” was released by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion in August 2020 and instantly became one of the most talked-about songs of the decade. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with massive streaming numbers. A huge part of the song’s immediate impact came from its clever use of a sample from the 1993 Baltimore club classic, “Whores in This House” by Frank Ski, which gave “WAP” its infectious and repetitive hook.
The song’s explicit lyrics sparked a massive cultural debate. While it was praised by many fans, music critics, and cultural commentators as a powerful anthem of female empowerment and sexual liberation, it was also heavily criticized by conservative politicians and pundits, who called it vulgar and immoral. This controversy only made the song more famous, turning it into a viral sensation and a major topic of conversation around the world. The collaboration was a landmark moment in music, bringing together two of the world’s biggest and most confident female rappers. “WAP” was not just a song; it was a cultural event that challenged perceptions about who is allowed to talk about sex and how they are allowed to talk about it.
Metaphors in the Song
While “WAP” is known for its very direct and literal lyrics, it uses humor, slang, and imagery that function as powerful metaphors for its message.
- WAP (Wet-Ass Pussy): The title itself is the central symbol. In the song, it’s not just a graphic, clinical description of female arousal. It is transformed into a metaphor for ultimate female power, desirability, and sexual agency. It is presented as a high-value asset that gives the woman control and power over men.
- Bucket and a Mop: This is a humorous and over-the-top metaphor (a hyperbole). It is used to describe a level of female arousal that is so extreme and abundant that it would literally require cleanup. By using this funny, domestic image, the song presents female desire as something to be proud and boastful of, not something to be hidden or ashamed of.
- Big Mack Truck in This Little Garage: This is a classic, playful metaphor for sexual intercourse between a well-endowed man and a woman. It uses the funny and vivid image of a huge truck trying to fit into a small garage to describe the physical act in a way that is both explicit and humorous.
- King Cobra vs. Garter Snake: These are metaphors used to describe the desired size and sexual ability of a male partner. A garter snake is typically small and harmless, while a king cobra is a large, powerful, and famously dangerous snake. This is a clear and direct way for the woman to state her high standards and preferences for a lover.
FAQs
1. What is the song’s main message?
The main message of “WAP” is one of unapologetic female sexual empowerment. It celebrates a woman’s right to own her desires, to speak about sex from her perspective, and to be in complete control of her own sexual narrative.
2. What song does “WAP” sample?
The song famously samples the 1993 Baltimore club track “Whores in This House” by DJ and producer Frank Ski. This sample is used for the intro and outro of the song.
3. Why was “WAP” so controversial and culturally significant?
“WAP” was so controversial because its lyrics are extremely sexually explicit from a female point of view. It sparked a huge cultural debate about whether women should be allowed to speak as openly and graphically about sex as male artists have for decades. Its significance comes from its role in challenging double standards and pushing conversations about female empowerment forward.
4. What does “WAP” say about female empowerment in hip-hop?
The song is a landmark moment for female empowerment in hip-hop. It shows two of the genre’s biggest stars refusing to be passive objects in a male narrative. Instead, they position themselves as the dominant, controlling, and desiring subjects of their own stories, claiming a power that has historically been reserved for male rappers.
5. What does Cardi B mean by “certified freak, seven days a week”?
She is proudly declaring that her sexual nature is an authentic and consistent part of her identity. She is not just pretending; she is officially (“certified”) a sexual person all the time.
6. What does it mean to “make that pullout game weak”?
This is a boast about how desirable she is. The “pullout game” refers to the withdrawal method of birth control. She is saying her “WAP” is so good that it will make a man lose his self-control and not want to pull out.
7. What does “Swipe your nose like a credit card” mean?
This is a sexually suggestive line that uses the imagery of swiping a credit card to describe a specific sex act (cunnilingus), with his nose being swiped across her body.
8. What does Cardi mean when she says “I don’t cook, I don’t clean / But let me tell you how I got this ring”?
She is rejecting the traditional idea that a woman’s value is in her domestic abilities. She is proudly stating that her partner committed to her (“got this ring”) because of her other powerful qualities, like her confidence and sexuality.
9. In Megan’s verse, what does she mean by “He already made his mind up ‘fore he came”?
She means that men are so captivated by her that they have already decided they will do anything for her—buy her things, treat her well—before they even have sex. Her power of attraction is that strong.
10. What does Megan mean by “run down on him ‘fore I have a nigga runnin’ me”?
“Run down on him” means to confront or dominate someone. “Runnin’ me” means controlling her. She is saying she will always be the one in control and will never let a man control her life.
11. What is a “king cobra” a metaphor for in the song?
A “king cobra” is a metaphor for a large, powerful penis. She is contrasting this with a “garter snake” (a small penis) to state her preference for a well-endowed partner.
12. What does “punani Dasani” mean? “Punani” is slang for vagina. “Dasani” is a popular brand of bottled water. By putting them together, Cardi B is using a clever and humorous metaphor to say that her “WAP” is very wet, like water.
13. What does Megan mean by “Switch my wig, make him feel like he cheatin'”?
This is a playful line about roleplaying. By changing her wig and her look, she can create the fantasy for her partner that he is with a different woman each time, adding excitement to their relationship.
14. What does Megan mean by “I’m lookin’ for a beatin'”?
This is a reference to rough sex. While she is a strong woman who has “never lost a fight” in life, in the bedroom, she enjoys being dominated in a consensual way.
15. What does Megan mean by “If he ate my ass, he’s a bottom-feeder”?
This is a clever and humorous play on words. “Bottom-feeder” is a term for a creature that feeds at the bottom of the ocean, but here she uses it literally to refer to a man who performs oral sex on her anus (“ate my ass”).
16. What does it mean to “make it rain”?
“Make it rain” is a slang term that means to throw a lot of cash in the air, usually in a strip club. Megan is telling men that if they want to see more of her, they need to be generous with their money.
17. What does “Macaroni in a pot” refer to?
This is another humorous and explicit metaphor for “WAP.” The sound of stirring wet macaroni in a pot is being used to describe the sound of sex with a well-lubricated vagina.
18. Who is the male voice in the intro and outro?
The male voice saying “Whores in this house” is from the original 1993 sample of the song “Whores in This House” by Frank Ski.
19. Why do they say “gobble me, swallow me”?
These are explicit commands for a partner performing oral sex, once again showing that the woman is in control and clearly stating her desires.
20. What is the overall tone of the song?
The tone is confident, playful, humorous, proud, and completely unapologetic. It is a joyful and powerful celebration of female sexuality.