New York (AFP)

An ode to female desire and debauchery, accompanied by images defying the usual rules of decency: "WAP", clip by rapper Cardi B in collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion, has become one of the hits of the summer , much to the chagrin of American conservatives.

Most of the lyrics in this song - including its title, a slang abbreviation that evokes a lubricated vagina - are untranslatable without risking obscenity.

Musically, the song released in mid-August is pretty basic, built around a contagious tune that appeared in the 1990s in a Baltimore nightclub, "Whores in this house" by Frank Ski.

But Cardi B, 27, a former stripper from the Bronx, and Megan Thee Stallion, 25, from Texas, take pleasure in hammering out the most daring lyrics.

And in the video, the two rappers wander in stiletto heels and undressed bodysuits, in a rich pastel-colored house where felines, sexual innuendos and generous forms follow one another.

Lots of reviews were laudatory, as the hit went viral on the TikTok Network.

But with the approach of the American presidential election, conservative voices have cried foul.

"WAP (which I heard by chance) made me want to pour holy water in my ears," tweeted James Bradley, Republican from Los Angeles who will run for a seat in the House of Representatives on November 3. .

Ben Shapiro, a prominent conservative columnist, denounced the video as a regression for the feminist movement, which earned him many mockeries.

All this has only boosted the success of "WAP".

"They talk, they talk and the numbers are increasing," said recently Cardi B, a fan of socialist Bernie Sanders who now supports Democrat Joe Biden for the presidential election.

- Hypocrisy -

Some on social media have pointed out that the same conservatives were supporting a president, Donald Trump, who boasted, in equally vulgar terms, of "grabbing women by the pussy."

For Sherri Williams, a media scholar at American University in Washington, the criticisms were predictable.

"Patriarchy always punishes women who talk about their sexual experiences," she told AFP. "A woman who is sexually assaulted is criticized for her behavior or her dress. A woman who talks about sexual pleasure is immoral."

The hypocrisy goes even further, according to the academic, when one considers that the two rappers are black, and that black women have long been treated as commodities, as slaves or as guinea pigs for gynecological research.

The video also goes against the idea that feminism belongs first and foremost to "wealthy white women," said Sherri Williams.

Politically committed, young mother without complex in the face of her success, Cardi B embodies the ideals of feminism, but "as she is a former stripper, coming from reality TV and the popular classes (...), this seems to deny for some her feminism, ”she says again.

Prominent gynecologist and columnist Jen Gunter was also expecting criticism.

"Our society shames women who talk about their bodies," she says. "There is nothing more dangerous for weak men than a woman who claims her sexuality."

For her, "WAP" is a "new cultural landmark", which will help to dismantle false information on female sexuality and help women who find it difficult to accept their body.

It is rare that popular culture "evokes the vagina in a constructive way," says Jen Gunter. "WAP" according to her allows "women to express themselves as men do - I think this is a great step forward."

After First Lady Melania Trump's speech at the Republican convention on Tuesday night, Republican congressional candidate DeAnna Lorraine tweeted that America "needs a lot more women like Melania Trump, and a lot less by Cardi B ".

The New York rapper replied by tweeting an old naked photo of the former model "First Lady", concluding: "That's all I'm saying."

© 2020 AFP