Cardi B’s “WAP” isn’t just a hit — it’s one of the biggest hits of all time, landing at No.1 on the Hot 100 and breaking all kinds of streaming records in the process. That’s in spite — or perhaps in part because — of backlash against the song from conservative commentators who derided the song’s subject matter and straightforward, uvula-related sex raps.
Of course, those concerns didn’t stop the promoters of a Trump 2020 boat party from co-opting the song in a promotional video. The video, which appears on the Instagram page @trumpsplans, plays the song over scenes from the party as a group of 20-somethings mug at the camera.
Naturally, Cardi caught wind of the video and expressed her disapproval. “Wasn’t Republican conservatives throwing a little fit bout this song?” she asked rhetorically. “Anyways this makes my ass itchy. I’m callin the FBI on this festivity. They are not quarantining.”
Wasn’t republican conservative throwing a little fit bout this song ?
……..Anyways this makes my ass itchy. ….I’m callin the fbi on this festivity.They are not quarantining pic.twitter.com/kL3kuKChAm
— iamcardib (@iamcardib) August 18, 2020
Considering the outsized response to “WAP,” both good and bad, it’s no surprise that it would be used by the partygoers, who all seem to be in the demographic of people the song’s been marketed to. But as Cardi points out, there’s some irony in using the song to promote a Trump party after Cardi herself has been outspoken about the former reality star’s political failings — and the way his supporters have constantly attacked her online since she first blew up with “Bodak Yellow.” Cardi, meanwhile, continues to do her part politically, interviewing Joe Biden recently and urging Alexandria Osasio-Cortez to run for President in 2024.
Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.