WAP (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)

"WAP" is a song by rappers Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion. Originally intended to be the lead single to Cardi B's upcoming sophomore album, it was released as a standalone single on August 7, 2020 & it was ultimately included as the final track on the deluxe version of her second album, Am I The Drama? (2025). WAP (an acronym for "Wet-Ass Pussy") is a hip-hop song driven by heavy bass, drum beats & a notable sample of Frank Ski's "Whores in This House" (1993). In the lyrics, Cardi & Megan discuss how they want men to please them, using several sexual innuendos, it's overtly sexually explicit lyrics helped with the song's popularity. WAP ranked at #24 on Billboard's Year-End list of 2020 & is currently certified Diamond by the RIAA.

WAP originated with a beat sent to Cardi by Ayo the Producer and Keyz. She recorded what became its first verse in 2019 but ended up shelving it indefinitely. When COVID-19 lockdowns were instituted in March 2020, Cardi B decided to stay in Los Angeles, California & use that time to work on music. She & her team rented a house and turned it into a studio for 3 months. Going through previously recorded tracks, Cardi B wrote an additional verse for WAP, continuing to rework parts of the song several times. She was initially unsatisfied with the song's hook, feeling that "wet-ass pussy" was repeated too much. She began sending it to other female artists to see if they could improve on it & it soon turned into a collab featuring Megan Thee Stallion. Brooklyn Johnny spoke in an interview with Billboard about the song's conception, saying: I'm talking about … maybe 50 different versions before I arrived at a place like, "Oh shit, I think I got it". … The first person I let hear it was Cardi. Cardi is one of them people like, "… let me hear it! Let's see what you got!" … The thing you're making sure you do is that they complement each other well, that they sit well on the track together and that … it feels fluid to your ear.

Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion first connected through their respective wardrobe stylists. After meeting her in Los Angeles, California, Cardi B told her team that she was considering a collaboration with her. A couple of days later, both sent tracks to each other. Cardi B had her business partner Brooklyn Johnny send WAP. After receiving Megan's verses, the song's engineers started editing and mixing vocals, still trying to find a way to emphasize the song's hook. They decided to switch the order of Megan's verses to improve the way the song flowed. On August 3, Cardi B revealed an upcoming collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion. The announcement included the single artwork which shows the 2 rappers back to back against a bright pink background, holding out their tongues. They are styled with gold "WAP" hoop earrings, 1990's-inspired makeup, and tall interlocking updos. The day before the single's release, Frank Ski teased his involvement through a Twitter post. Cardi B and Megan promoted the premiere with a livestream on YouTube.

A clean version of the song was sent to U.S. radio, as opposed to the original version. In it, the hook is changed from "wet-ass pussy" to "wet & gushy", among other censors. It marked Cardi B's first release of 2020 & Megan's first release following a highly publicized shooting incident involving her ex-boyfriend Tory Lanez, where Megan had sustained injuries from a bullet to her feet. To accompany the release of the single, Cardi B launched a line of waterproof "WAP" merchandise which included umbrellas & raincoats.

Preparation for the song's accompanying music video began almost immediately after Cardi B & Megan approved the final version of the song. JaQuel Knight worked on a choreography routine, and Cardi B spent 3 to 4 weeks rehearsing it, with Megan joining based on her availability. Atlantic Records wanted to expedite the video so it could be released before the end of the summer. Kollin Carter & Patientce Foster served as co-creative directors & Cardi B expressed to them an interest in filling the video with animals & bold colors. Foster described Cardi B's vision as "a house full of powerful women" without exclusions, and they put together a list of people who could potentially make cameo appearances, including several emerging female rappers. Lizzo was among those invited to appear in the music video but was out of town when the shoot was scheduled. Cardi B & Megan's wardrobe for the music video came from Nicolas Jebran, Bryan Hearns, Mugler designer Casey Cadwallader, and Juraj Zigman. Venus Prototype made latex outfits for the cameo guests, with Normani's drawing on a 1991 Azzedine Alaïa photoshoot with Naomi Campbell. Filming took place in Los Angeles during the week of July 6, 2020, days before new COVID-19 restrictions went into effect across the city. Practical sets were built for most of the rooms shown in the video, minimizing the amount of green screen needed. At Cardi B's request, she & Megan shot a scene while covered with snakes; however, footage of a tiger and leopard was shot separately for safety reasons. Tilley opted to use a distorted visual style inspired by Tim Burton and Dr. Seuss. Cardi B estimated the video's budget at $1 million, with over $100,000 of that spent on COVID testing for everyone on set. On August 6, 2020, Cardi B announced via Instagram that the music video for the song would be released alongside the single the next day, but that the video would feature the censored version of the track. Garnering over 26 million views in it's first day, WAP broke the record for the biggest 24-hour debut for an all-female collaboration on YouTube. WAP had the most searched lyrics on Google in 2020.

The video shows Cardi B & Megan walking through a colorful mansion. Cardi B and Megan open the video in the mansion hallway, wearing custom dresses, opera gloves, and matching updos. During Cardi B's first verse they also appear in a snake-filled room. For this transition, the door knocker comes alive as a snake and eats the camera. The next scene shows both rappers in a green and purple room wearing matching bodysuits, composed of a corset bodice, mesh tights and sleeves, with Megan performing her first verse. During a break in the music, Kylie Jenner strides down the hallway in a leopard-print bodysuit & cape. She opens the door to a leopard-themed room where Cardi B performs her second verse surrounded by leopards, wearing a matching bodysuit and pasties. Megan appears in a white tiger-themed bathroom with white tigers around her. The 2 rappers reunite in a shallow pool for a choreographed scene. The video ends with cameo appearances from Normani, Rosalía, Latto, Sukihana & Rubi Rose. The video has been described as a confident display of women who demonstrate their sexual prowess.

WAP debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week of August 22, 2020, dethroning Harry Styles' Watermelon Sugar & garnering Cardi B her fourth chart-topper in the US, extending her record as the female rapper with the most #1 singles. It was Megan's second #1 sonf following the remix of Savage with Beyoncé earlier in 2020. Cardi B became the only female rapper to achieve Hot 100 #1 singles in 2 different decades (2010's & 2020's). WAP became the first female rap collaboration to debut at #1 on the Hot 100. The song was driven by 93 million streams, 125,000 downloads & 11.6 million radio airplay impressions. As the song topped the Digital Song Sales and Streaming Songs charts, it became Cardi B's fourth chart-topper on the former, Cardi B's third on the latter & Megan's second on both.

The 93 million streaming total became the largest number of first-week streams in Billboard history and of weekly streams in 2020. WAP generated the most weekly on-demand U.S. audio streams among songs by female artists, with 54.7 million streams, during the best sales week for a song since Taylor Swift's ME! featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco (2019). WAP became the first song to spend it's first 2 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 since Ariana Grande's 7 rings the year before in 2019. In between those 2 songs, 8 songs have debuted at #1, each spending a single week at the summit. Of the 42 songs that have entered the chart at #1 since the Hot 100 started in 1958, 19 including WAP remained on top in their second weeks. WAP also became the first song among female artists to lead the Hot 100 for multiple weeks since Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You (1994) first reached #1 in late 2019-early 2020.

After WAP's second week at #1 it slipped to #2 behind the #1 debut of BTS' Dynamite, that also spent it's first 2 weeks at #1. WAP returned to #1 on the week of September 19, 2020 & stayed for it's remaining 2 weeks at the top, with WAP overall spending 4 non-consecutive weeks at the #1 spot in August & September 2020 before it slipped to the runner-up spot as it's run was concluded by "Dynamite" returning & followed by the #1 debut of Travis Scott's FRANCHISE featuring M.I.A. & Young Thug, Jawsh 685 & Jason Derulo's Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat) & 24KGoldn & iann dior's Mood, all week by week.

WAP also reached #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, marking Cardi B's fifth number-one entry on the former and fourth on the latter, & Megan's second on both. Billboard called the song "one of the most dominant Hot 100 #1's of the last 30 years".