The Interlude

In less than 24 hours, the “WAP” music video — a collaboration between two rap powerhouses Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B — has garnered over ten million views. The song’s virality comes as no surprise with lines like “I spit on his mic and now he’s tryna sign me,” and the numerous celebrity cameos throughout from the likes of Normani and Rosalia. In “WAP,” Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion let you know the cost of pussy power, which includes college tuition and good credit scores. Amazing taste, ladies.

In the music video, the rappers run around in a wacky mansion filled with voluptuous statues — ones that would make the Ancient Greeks’ reconsider their portrayal of beauty in sculptures. In one shot, the platinum-selling entertainers pull the classic girl-on-girl aerial shot as they’re surrounded by snakes of all sizes, shapes, and colors. Beyond a snake’s evident phallic representations which Cardi B gives into as she spits on the third verse, “Not a garter snake, I need a king cobra,” serpents symbolize female sexuality in many cultures. This scene was a cultural reset. It marks the revival of homoerotic visuals between two powerful musicians, most notably last seen in Shakira’s collaborations with Beyoncé and Rihanna in “Beautiful Liar” and “Can’t Remember to Forget You.” The lack of an overt male gaze makes way for fun euphemisms of female desire like the majestic felines curled in every corner whose fur patterns are echoed in Cardi B’s iconic leopard print outfit or Megan Thee Stallion’s beautiful tiger-striped wig.

The WAP video is clearly inspired by Lil Kim’s legacy of talent, hypersexuality, and colorful hair. Cardi B’s golden pasties filling up the frame seems like a visual nod to Lil Kim’s historic 1999 MTV Music Video Awards look or her raunchy “How Many Licks” music video. The Willy Wonka-esque themes of WAP remind me of the effervescent coolness of the neon sets in her 1997 single “Crush On You” where the former Junior M.A.F.I.A. member smoothly declares her sexual affections to the person she desires in revealing color-coordinated outfits.

And although the celebrities featured in WAP didn’t speak, it allowed me to bask in the nostalgia of seeing the “Ladies Night” music video for the first time, which is one of the most legendary female rap collaborations. In a society that constantly likes to pit women against each other for opportunities and men, I thoroughly enjoy seeing the current vanguard of female artists coming together to captivate audiences in a music video that is currently at the top of YouTube’s trending list.

The celebration of successful women in this collaboration is especially refreshing to witness after the public reaction to Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting, which revealed the underlying problems of misogynoir that continue to proliferate not only in the entertainment industry, but in everyday life. After a tearful return to social media, Megan Thee Stallion declared that the incident taught her who to trust and who not to trust, and that she would continue to focus on her music, well-being and her fan base. With a Variety Magazine cover and a new spot as Revlon’s Global Ambassador, and now dropping a single that shot to the top of the US iTunes charts, Megan Thee Stallion is seeing the break of dawn after the darkest hour.