Yet despite the songвЂ™s uninhibited raunch, its popularity was partly earned from one of the music industryвЂ™s oldest bugaboos: self-censorship. An instant social media phenomenon, the song spawned remixes and memes galore, including a subgenre of outraged-slash-titillated parental reaction videos. 1 on BillboardвЂ™s Hot 100 chart for four weeks and drew 1.1 billion clicks on streaming platforms.

One of the yearвЂ™s most inescapable hits, it held No. Of course, вЂњWAPвЂќ did hit the airwaves, and the streaming services, in a big way. вЂњThank God we have systems in place,вЂќ he recalled thinking, вЂњthat prevented that record from hitting the airwaves.вЂќ вЂњIt hits you at the very beginning - like, whoa! - and then it just keeps on going and going and going,вЂќ Wynter said, still marveling at the songвЂ™s barrage of suggestive imagery. But even Wynter, the head of hip-hop and R&B programming for the broadcasting giant iHeartMedia, was taken aback by вЂњWAP,вЂќ Cardi B and Megan Thee StallionвЂ™s brazenly graphic anthem of lubrication, when he was given a preview before the songвЂ™s release in August.

Doc Wynter still remembers the first time he heard вЂњWAP.вЂќДЄ top radio programmer for decades, Wynter has come across countless explicit rap tracks and вЂњblueвЂќ R&B songs that required nips and tucks before they could be played on-air.

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