If you watched the Grammy Awards this year, you would know that Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion‘s “WAP” performance sparked a ton of conversation. In fact, since the performance aired, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) received an astounding number of complaints. Rolling Stone reported in mid-April that the FCC received over 1,000 complaints about the rappers’ performance.
The Grammy Awards aired on March 14. But, a month later, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s performance is still a major point of conversation. While it was initially reported that the FCC received only around 40 complaints about the performance, that number has since been amended in a big way. Rolling Stone reported that the FCC was flooded with complaints about the duo’s “WAP” rendition, which involved them incorporating sultry choreography as they sang the NSFW track. At the moment, there are currently over 1,000 complaints about their performance, with many of the individuals complaining about the sexual nature of it. The publication even pointed out that many of the complaints involved a great deal of slut-shaming.
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“I felt violated with Meghan Stallion & Cardi B’s performance. I am pro sex-positivity abnd body positivity but this performance crossed the line into pornography. Many kids still awake at that time, and even non-consenting adults were unexpectedly staring at pure objectification of women at its finest,” one complaint reportedly read, in part. The number of complaints that Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s performance received is actually staggering, especially in comparison to other hotly-contested events. Following Super Bowl LIV, which took place in early 2020, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira’s halftime show received over 1,300 FCC complaints. Considering that the Super Bowl garners many more viewers than the Grammy Awards, it’s wild to consider that the singers’ “WAP” performance received nearly the same amount of complaints.
In light of the controversy surrounding the performance, Cardi B took to Twitter to address it. In particular, she responded to one conservative critic who claimed that “WAP” lyrics are “more welcome in some schools” than Dr. Seuss books, some of which were recently pulled off of the shelves for racist imagery and content. “When has a school made kids read the lyrics to ‘WAP’?” Cardi asked. “I get it ]WP] might be a lil vulgar but stop comparing a sensual song to books that has RACIST content! How can ya not tell the difference?I see that common sense ain’t that common.” She went on to criticize the commentator for even comparing the two situations, adding, “Well I can DEFINITELY tell some of ya ONLY read dr Seuss books Face with rolling eyes cause ya mind lacks comprehension.”
