Over the weekend, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion released their new song WAP along with the music video, featuring a multitude of cameos from people like Normani, Sukihana, and Mulatto. On the whole, people on social media came to the general consensus that the music and production are both very good.
However, Kylie Jenner’s cameo in a video that appeared to uplift Black women drew a lot of criticism, sparking a new flame in the ongoing conversation about cultural appropriators being generally accepted by notable figures in the Black community.
Kylie, who is the youngest of the Kardashian and Jenner siblings, is no stranger to cultural appropriation controversy, having been called out multiple times for sporting hairstyles from “Harajuku styles” to cornrows.
Although her cameo in the WAP music video is less than 30 seconds long (can be seen at around 1:40), people were quick to call her out once again, even creating a series of viral “when I saw Kylie in WAP” memes.
Oh not Kylie pic.twitter.com/PquFZ3Mgh6
— paul (@dearapriII) August 7, 2020
Kylie walks on screen in the WAP video
Twitter: pic.twitter.com/x9lMK3z8gV
— Black BLACK-Sassy Wife (@mrsniquesquared) August 7, 2020
There has been an edit posted on Twitter removing Kylie from the video.
https://twitter.com/_TheLoveBelow_/status/1291613487316140033?s=20
There is even a petition on Change.org to officially remove her cameo from the video, which garnered around 2,000 signatures within 20 minutes. “The video was perfect until we saw K and I wanted to throw my phone,” the creator wrote.
There are a lot of people blaming Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion for being complicit in Kylie’s involvement in a space that should have been reserved for Black women.
The betrayal of Kylie Jenner popping up in that video. It felt like a betrayal, I thought we were in a Black space, Chile! https://t.co/2PSVCWMxsk
— Miss. (@AarynLang) August 7, 2020
However, there are also some people who have pointed out that Kylie’s involvement has not only increased viewership, but the subsequent discussion around it has also added to an increase in publicity.
https://twitter.com/AlyciaTyre/status/1291855119395352576?s=20
https://twitter.com/Thefirejem/status/1291834545650782209?s=20
Amongst the recent wave of “cancel culture”, Kylie Jenner might find herself next on the hitlist if this controversy continues.
What do you think about the WAP music video?
Let us know in the comments below!