Unless you’re Jared Leto and have just returned from a two-week internet-free retreat, you’ve probably seen Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP” video which took the internet by storm Friday. The NSFW song and video sparked a wide array of responses, from a Republican Congressional candidate saying the rappers are a result of children “raised without God” to Tiger King star Carole Baskin saying the video “glamorizes the idea of rich people having tigers as pets.” Now, even PETA has joined in on the “WAP” conversation.
PETA tends to release a statement any time a celebrity uses exotic animals for promotional purposes. Last year, Justin Bieber told the animal rights organization to “suck it” after they criticized his purchase of exotic cats. Now, PETA has spoken out about the leopards that appear in Cardi and Meg’s “WAP” video, saying they aren’t “Okurrr” with the cameo. According to Billboard, PETA critiqued the use of animals as props in a statement released Monday:
“If Tiger King taught us anything, it’s that tigers and other wild animals are abused for music videos, selfies, and gawking roadside zoo visitors. So if real animals were used instead of computer-generated imagery, the message sent is that animal exploitation is Okurrr—and it isn’t. If Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion really care about pussy liberation, they wouldn’t use suffering big cats as props.”
So far, neither Meg nor Cardi has responded to the organization’s statement but it should be noted that live animals were added in through green screen or CGI and it doesn’t appear that the leopards were ever physically on set.
Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.