Cardi B has acknowledged Carole Baskin’s criticism over her new video for the single “WAP.” The video features Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, among assorted exotic animals, which were photographed separately and later edited together.
In an interview with Vice, she was asked about Baskin’s criticism over the use of animals at all. “I’m not gonna engage with Carole Baskin on that,” Cardi B replied. “Like, that’s just ridiculous you know? Oh, Lord. Like, girl you killed your goddamn husband.”
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The issue of Baskin and her former husband, Don Lewis, who has been missing for a number of years. Though Baskin hasn’t been formally charged with a crime, nor is she the subject of any current investigation, it was one of the topics frequently touched on in the Netflix docuseries Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness. Cardi B also acknowledged the firestorm of backlash the song has caused, admitting that she “didn’t know it was going to be so controversial.”
“I never expected that, you know, conservatives and Republicans were going to be talking about the song. I didn’t think the song was as vulgar as they said it was, you know? Like, I’m so used to it. I’m such a freak that I didn’t think it would be a big deal. I didn’t think people would think it was so out of this world. “It doesn’t make me angry. It makes me happy. They keep talking and the numbers keep going up. At the end of the day, whatever they’re saying, the numbers speak for themselves.”
Another controversy that’s sprung up in the wake of the release of “WAP” was the cameo appearance from Kylie Jenner. Partway through the video, the music pauses while the makeup mogul makes a dramatic walk down the hallway in a leopard-print outfit. Since the video’s release more than 50,000 people have signed a petition for a release a new edit of the video with Jenner removed.
Titled “Remove Kylie Jenner from WAP video,” the petition claims that the “video was perfect until we saw K and I wanted to throw my phone. Hundreds of people also left comments giving more detailed reasons for signing the petition. Not long after, Cardi B appeared to hint at the petition on Twitter. “I wanna say thank you to every woman that was apart [sic] of my video,” adding that “it was so important to me to include different women, that are different races and come from different backgrounds but are so powerful and influential.”
