GRAMMY® Award-winning multi-platinum selling Atlantic recording artist Cardi B continues to make history with the explosive success of her new single, “WAP (Feat. Megan Thee Stallion)” which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 today. The blockbuster track, RIAA certified gold in its first week, has quickly broken multiple records including the highest streaming first week by a female artist, the highest streaming first week of 2020, and one of the top 3 hip-hop streaming debuts of all time. The record-breaking single extends Cardi B’s own record as the female rapper with the most Hot 100 #1s, now four songs with the inclusion of “WAP (Feat. Megan Thee Stallion).” The track also makes Cardi the first female rapper to have a #1 on the Hot 100 in two different decades, and the 3rd female rapper to debut at #1 on the Hot 100 as a lead artist.
“WAP (Feat. Megan Thee Stallion)” affirmed Cardi B as one of Apple Music’s most popular artists of all time, earning the platform’s highest ever debut by a female artist as well as the fastest song in Apple Music history by a female artist to peak at #1. The track’s chart-topping success marks Cardi’s seventh #1 track at Apple Music – the most by any female artist in the service’s five-year history. What’s more, the track makes Cardi the first female rapper to have two songs hit #1 on the global Spotify chart with DJ Snake’s 3x Platinum “Taki Taki (with Selena Gomez, Ozuna, and Cardi B)” and “WAP (Feat. Megan Thee Stallion).”
Produced by Ayo & Keyz, an official companion video – directed by Colin Tilley and featuring cameos from an all-female cast that includes Normani, Kylie Jenner, Rosalía, Mulatto, Rubi Rose, and Sukihana – is available for viewing via YouTube HERE. The clip has also proven a record-shattering landmark, earning the biggest-ever debut week for an all-female hip-hop collaboration of 2020 on the platform with 41.9 million US views and 82.3 million views globally.
Along with its epic popular success, “WAP (Feat. Megan Thee Stallion)” – which marks Cardi’s first release since 2019’s RIAA platinum certified single, “Press” – was met with rapturous critical attention around the world, with the Los Angeles Times declaring it “a savage, nasty, sex-positive triumph.” “WAP” is “a nasty-ass rap bop,” wrote Pitchfork, “bursting with the personality of two of rap’s most congenial household names.” “WAP” is “an event record that transcends the event itself,” raved the New York Times. “In their verses, both Cardi and Megan are exuberant, sharp and extremely, extremely vividly detailed.” “Cardi and Megan are powerhouses of female sexuality, independence, and dominance,” enthused Complex. “In a male-dominated genre that is often criticized for misogynistic wordplay toward women, the two rappers have never shied away from taking back the narrative of femininity in hip-hop. And during a time when Black women have taken to social media to advocate for their protection and support, while basking in their blackness, (‘WAP’) couldn’t be more timely.”
