Cardi B created a pop cultural phenomenon via her controversial 2020 single, WAP, an acronym insinuating what some consider the ultimate anthem of modern sexual liberty. Consequently, ironic merchandising gimmicks and parodies abound…even extending to the church realm with remixes like Worship And Praise…yes, someone actually had the gall to implement this…
While WAP is ultimately marketed and defended as a brand of ‘female self empowerment’, there are theological implications that are far more consequential. What I see here is an attempt to explore and exhaust every potential avenue of self justification in relation to the indulgence of the flesh and the self reclamation of the body – particularly as it concerns the expression of human sexuality. This is a desperate attempt to reach a new plateau of self-righteous exhibitionism and shock value.
Cardi appears desperate to find that next avenue of breaking new ground in terms of being provocative…not dissimilar to the Epicurean philosophers in Acts 17 who sat around with nothing better to do than to discover the next horizon of enlightenment and existential speculation. The author of Ecclesiastes however grounds us back in reality reminding us, “there is nothing new under the sun… everything that is has already been”. The song’s edgy content isn’t new…and that’s why I don’t quite understand the outcry from both the political and religious communities. Sexually implicit and explicit content in American pop music historically goes as far back as Bessie Smith, Lester Young, Millie Jackson, Clarence Carter, etc. In my own era, I remember getting caught listening to my big brother’s Slick Rick cassette tape. I recall the boundaries 2 Live Crew pushed and the ensuing campaign to preserve what they deemed their First Amendment rights. I remember when Ice T immediately superseded the aggressive demeanor immortalized by LL Cool J’s I’m Bad…and how as kids we thought, “whoa…it doesn’t get any more hardcore than this!”…only to be scandalized a year later by NWA…I’m old enough to recall the debates about censorship and the implementation of Parental Advisory labels on vinyl albums and CDs (remember those?). My generation survived the antics of Mapplethorpe’s obscene photography, Madonna’s Erotica, and well…pretty much anything conceived in the mind of Prince Rogers Nelson. I mean at this point in contemporary entertainment…what’s left to do that’s actually shocking?
WAP is ultimately an attempt to sanctify the body via the exercising of our alleged autonomy (cf. Genesis 3:5)…but the body cannot be redeemed through self-justification – it can only be saved by an external action that occurs outside of us…more specifically apart from us. St Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians, ‘you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God’s…’ This is good news because it means nothing we ‘do’ per se (religious or irreligious) can save us…or condemn us for that matter. Furthermore it means everything Christ did has become our salvation. WAP has ushered in the next level of self identification for the numerous fans and devotees who resonate with its message of counterfeit freedom. Thank God though for the gospel which affirms the “freedom for which Christ has set us free”.
Law, Grace, & Daily Living 