Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion performed their No. 1 hit “WAP” last month at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards — much to some viewers’ dismay, apparently.
Cardi B performing at this year’s Grammys.
As of this week, the Federal Communications Commission has received more than 1,000 complaints regarding the duo’s performance at the awards show, according to Rolling Stone.
During the Grammys, which aired March 14 on CBS, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion performed a raunchy medley of “Body,” “Savage,” “Up,” and “WAP.” For the final song, the pair danced provocatively together on a massive bed. Some viewers argued that the performance wasn’t appropriate for children and included “pornographic content.”
“I felt violated with Megan Stallion & Cardi B’s performance. I am pro-sex-positivity and body positivity but this performance crossed the line into pornography,” one viewer said via email, according to Rolling Stone. “Many kids still awake at that time, and even non-consenting adults were unexpectedly staring at pure objectification of women at its finest. Objectification perpetuates violence against women, maintaining the ripple effect that causes domestic violence, human trafficking, encouraging the consumption of women and then the disposal of them.”
A Virginia resident also expressed concern that children might’ve seen the performance, writing: “It is hard to tolerate much less stomach the performance of Cardi B at the Grammys. It was disgusting and the thought of young children possibly viewing it horrifies me.”
Other viewers attacked CBS and urged the network to cease the “vulgar” content and rebrand itself.
“I hope you in some way will attempt to end the vulgar, deplorable trash that was presented on national TV called the Grammy’s,” a Michigan resident wrote. “If you’re not able then just rename it to something more in line and appropriate to what it actually was…LivePorn.”
A California resident further threatened to take legal action if CBS did not stop displaying “pornography.”
Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B at the Grammys. Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
The complaints aren’t entirely surprising, considering the song has been at the center of conservative criticism since its release in August.
When the twosome’s music video was released, a Republican US Senate candidate, James P. Bradley, said in a tweet that the lyrics personally offended him, while the Fox News host Tucker Carlson called the song “garbage” and said the rappers “should be ashamed of themselves.”
Fellow artists have also chimed in, with CeeLo Green saying there’s a “time and place for adult content,” calling modern music “personally and morally disappointing.”
