Opinion: Cardi B's 'WAP' performance at the Grammys was too inappropriate

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By VT

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Cardi B's live performance of her 2020 hit summer track 'WAP' was the talk of Sunday nights' Grammy awards.

And it wasn't like the 28-year-old rapper did something out of the blue - every second of her performance was everything you'd expect to see from her at a live show.

Taking to the stage with Megan Thee Stallion and wearing a two-piece that made her look like Maria from Metropolis, their dance routine was enthusiastic, bombastic, provocative, explicit, sexual - and certainly made up for the censored lyrics.

There's no doubt that the rapper put on one hell of a show. But here's the thing; was it maybe - just maybe - all too much?

Take a look at Cardi's full performance in the video below:

Before I go on, I'd like to say that I really like 'WAP'. Sure, like many people, it shocked me when I first heard it - there's no doubt that the lyrics of the track are about as personal and as sexual as an artist can get.

But you've got to admit, it's a catchy tune - showcasing some of Cardi's most inventive (and hilarious) use of language to date, and boasting a truly impressive production.

Even if the song's content puts you off, you have to admire the craft and skill that went into making it, and I believe it rightly deserved the praise that was heaped on it.

Similarly, I'm not here to try to censor Cardi B for talking about her body in her own (expertly-profane) words. So many women I know found 'WAP' honest and empowering.

In the hyper-macho world of hip-hop, where male rappers have been applauded for decades for describing their sexual conquests and rampant libido in as much graphic detail as possible, it's refreshing to see a powerful and confident female artist tackle the same subject with pride and defiance.

That said, do I think that the Grammys were really the best place to showcase that particular track? No, not really.

If you wanted to introduce a newcomer to Cardi and Megan's discography, I can't think of a worse way to do it than by showing them their Grammy's performance.

There's more smoke on that stage than on the set of The Towering Inferno and lights strobing like the machine from The Ipcress File. There are gigantic graphics of Cardi projected onto an IMAX-sized screen. There are backing dancers lying on their backs and spreading their legs while Cardi gyrates in a giant see-through high heel.

It. Was. A LOT.

"So what?" you're probably saying. "That's Cardi B's whole deal. She's embracing her past and she's not afraid of her own sexuality. What you see is what you get. If you don't like it, switch off."

But here's the thing: Cardi's B's music is only empowering if you've made the choice to listen to it. If Cardi's 'WAP' performance is forced upon you, then is it really empowering? Or is it just an excuse to make a hostage audience uncomfortable?

"Okay," you might reply, "but the song went out at 8:00PM, which is definitely post-watershed, and it had the lyrics censored. Isn't that enough for you?"

I agree that the timeslot of the Grammys was probably (almost definitely) a deliberate decision on the part of the broadcasters. But a lot of people probably caught the performance later on social media - where things like timeslots aren't relevant and where it's harder to control who sees what.

With that in mind, anyone could see Cardi's performance, like it or not. It a social media-driven world, more people will have been exposed to it by accident than they would have if they'd made the deliberate choice to tune in to CBS on Sunday night.

Not only that, but I don't think that censoring the lyrics makes the song less explicit. It's a bit like publications censoring profanity in headlines. We all know what they're trying to f****** say, no matter how many asterisks you put in there.

And lyrics only make up half a performance. When you take into account Cardi and Megan's dance moves, costumes, and set design, they actually end up saying a lot more by inference.

Cardi has previously defended the track and dismissed those who think it inappropriate. Per Glamour, in a virtual interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show in August, the rapper stated:

"The people that the song bothers are usually conservatives or really religious people, but my thing is I grew up listening to this type of music. Other people might think it's strange and vulgar, but to me, it's almost like really normal."

Perhaps that's true. But aren't the Grammy's supposed to be for everyone, conservative or liberal, potty-mouthed or clean-spoken? Maybe Cardi's crowd doesn't find 'WAP' offensive, but judging from all the comments sections out there, other people certainly do.

If the Grammys aren't broadcast for the benefit of the listening public, then just who are they actually for?

It seems as though performances like this are for Cardi B and her fans, who all know 'WAP' off by heart anyway. And by that standard, maybe all Grammy performances are all superfluous? I'm not sure.

All I do know is that Cardi ended up trending worldwide, boasting over 200,000 tweets about 'WAP' during the show's broadcast. So, whether you think 'WAP' was cool or not, it got people talking about her.

And maybe that's all that matters these days...

Featured image credit: PA Images

Opinion: Cardi B's 'WAP' performance at the Grammys was too inappropriate

vt-author-image

By VT

Article saved!Article saved!

Cardi B's live performance of her 2020 hit summer track 'WAP' was the talk of Sunday nights' Grammy awards.

And it wasn't like the 28-year-old rapper did something out of the blue - every second of her performance was everything you'd expect to see from her at a live show.

Taking to the stage with Megan Thee Stallion and wearing a two-piece that made her look like Maria from Metropolis, their dance routine was enthusiastic, bombastic, provocative, explicit, sexual - and certainly made up for the censored lyrics.

There's no doubt that the rapper put on one hell of a show. But here's the thing; was it maybe - just maybe - all too much?

Take a look at Cardi's full performance in the video below:

Before I go on, I'd like to say that I really like 'WAP'. Sure, like many people, it shocked me when I first heard it - there's no doubt that the lyrics of the track are about as personal and as sexual as an artist can get.

But you've got to admit, it's a catchy tune - showcasing some of Cardi's most inventive (and hilarious) use of language to date, and boasting a truly impressive production.

Even if the song's content puts you off, you have to admire the craft and skill that went into making it, and I believe it rightly deserved the praise that was heaped on it.

Similarly, I'm not here to try to censor Cardi B for talking about her body in her own (expertly-profane) words. So many women I know found 'WAP' honest and empowering.

In the hyper-macho world of hip-hop, where male rappers have been applauded for decades for describing their sexual conquests and rampant libido in as much graphic detail as possible, it's refreshing to see a powerful and confident female artist tackle the same subject with pride and defiance.

That said, do I think that the Grammys were really the best place to showcase that particular track? No, not really.

If you wanted to introduce a newcomer to Cardi and Megan's discography, I can't think of a worse way to do it than by showing them their Grammy's performance.

There's more smoke on that stage than on the set of The Towering Inferno and lights strobing like the machine from The Ipcress File. There are gigantic graphics of Cardi projected onto an IMAX-sized screen. There are backing dancers lying on their backs and spreading their legs while Cardi gyrates in a giant see-through high heel.

It. Was. A LOT.

"So what?" you're probably saying. "That's Cardi B's whole deal. She's embracing her past and she's not afraid of her own sexuality. What you see is what you get. If you don't like it, switch off."

But here's the thing: Cardi's B's music is only empowering if you've made the choice to listen to it. If Cardi's 'WAP' performance is forced upon you, then is it really empowering? Or is it just an excuse to make a hostage audience uncomfortable?

"Okay," you might reply, "but the song went out at 8:00PM, which is definitely post-watershed, and it had the lyrics censored. Isn't that enough for you?"

I agree that the timeslot of the Grammys was probably (almost definitely) a deliberate decision on the part of the broadcasters. But a lot of people probably caught the performance later on social media - where things like timeslots aren't relevant and where it's harder to control who sees what.

With that in mind, anyone could see Cardi's performance, like it or not. It a social media-driven world, more people will have been exposed to it by accident than they would have if they'd made the deliberate choice to tune in to CBS on Sunday night.

Not only that, but I don't think that censoring the lyrics makes the song less explicit. It's a bit like publications censoring profanity in headlines. We all know what they're trying to f****** say, no matter how many asterisks you put in there.

And lyrics only make up half a performance. When you take into account Cardi and Megan's dance moves, costumes, and set design, they actually end up saying a lot more by inference.

Cardi has previously defended the track and dismissed those who think it inappropriate. Per Glamour, in a virtual interview on The Kyle and Jackie O Show in August, the rapper stated:

"The people that the song bothers are usually conservatives or really religious people, but my thing is I grew up listening to this type of music. Other people might think it's strange and vulgar, but to me, it's almost like really normal."

Perhaps that's true. But aren't the Grammy's supposed to be for everyone, conservative or liberal, potty-mouthed or clean-spoken? Maybe Cardi's crowd doesn't find 'WAP' offensive, but judging from all the comments sections out there, other people certainly do.

If the Grammys aren't broadcast for the benefit of the listening public, then just who are they actually for?

It seems as though performances like this are for Cardi B and her fans, who all know 'WAP' off by heart anyway. And by that standard, maybe all Grammy performances are all superfluous? I'm not sure.

All I do know is that Cardi ended up trending worldwide, boasting over 200,000 tweets about 'WAP' during the show's broadcast. So, whether you think 'WAP' was cool or not, it got people talking about her.

And maybe that's all that matters these days...

Featured image credit: PA Images