Jermaine Dupri thinks hip hop fans should demand better lyrics from female rappers and singled out Cardi B.
Jermaine Dupri believes that the charts reflect what the public wants to hear. Recently, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion shattered all types of record as their joint single, “WAP,” rocketed to no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The explicit lyrics in the song caused a polarising effect, with some claiming that it preached female empowerment, while others felt that it was simply crude to gain attention. Either way, the fans enjoyed listening as it earned the largest number of first-week streams for a song in Billboard history, and the music video broke the record for the most views within 24 hours for a female collaboration.
During an interview with HipHopDX, Dupri was asked for his thoughts as he had previously gained flack for his comments on female rappers like Cardi and Nicki Minaj by comparing them to rapping strippers based on the content of their songs. The record producer conceded that it is the fans who put songs like “WAP” at no. 1, not the industry, which is dominated by male artists, and so it is the public who votes for what they want to hear. “It’s on the fans. If the fans want to hear different rap, they will definitely say it and they’ll make it where the artists have to make that type of music. But for right now, they want to hear what they hear, and they have spoken,” he said.
In addition to the lyrics, the music video for “WAP” also had people talking as it featured cameos by likes of Normani, Rosalía, and Kylie Jenner, amongst others. Many on social media were unhappy about the presence of the make-up mogul, with Cardi now revealing that she had actually planned to include another powerhouse female on the shoot — Lizzo. The pair have reportedly been DMing, but the “Good As Hell” singer couldn’t make an appearance as she was out of town at the time.
