The music video broke Vevo’s 24-hour streaming record with 19.6 million views, just barely edging out Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball,' with 19.3 million.īy September, “Anaconda” skyrocketed to No. Within its first week of release, “Anaconda” was downloaded more than 140,000 times across all digital platforms and debuted at No. “Anaconda” received more than its fair share of bad press, about as much as one would expect for a song with the lyrics, “p-ssy put his ass to sleep, now he calling me NyQuill.” National Review called the lines degrading, claiming Minaj was promoting “prostitution, drug abuse, and immorality to young girls.” A city in Israel even banned the scandalous single from promotion, and some critics went so far as to describe it as “ the worst song ever.' With early negative criticism, “Anaconda” seemed doomed to fail, but Minaj’s impressive sales numbers proved otherwise. Minaj held nothing back as she delivered the explicit lyrics, along with an equally explicit music video, which clocks in at almost five minutes of twerking and other suggestive dance moves. She was even nominated for a Teen Choice Award the year prior.īut the cheerful, poppy sound Minaj built her empire of 'Barbz' on was nowhere to be found in “Anaconda.” Instead, it was replaced with heavy beats, hip-hop samples, and hardcore rap verses about sex, drugs and more sex. Minaj had built a name for herself with sugar-coated records like “Superbass” and “Starships,' and already earned the favor of radio stations and her younger audiences. Nicki Minaj quietly dropped one of the most influential records of her career that same year: “Anaconda.” It was a risky move for a well-respected and successful rap artist. By August, the world saw the marriage of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, Justin Bieber’s mugshot, and the steady rise of future pop titan Ariana Grande. The year was 2014, and pop culture already had its fair share of jaw-dropping moments. That was before 'Anaconda,' the predecessor of 'WAP.' Sex has been a critical point of conversation since the conception of the rap and hip hop industry, but for so long, songs covering this theme have evaded the top spot on the charts and have been ostracized from the mainstream. The “WAP Challenge” is going viral on TikTok, and the lavish music video has surpassed 13 million views since its August release earlier this year.ĭirty rap songs are nothing new, however. 1 debut in the U.S., and continues to gather acclaim and rack up sales. The only thing more shocking than “WAP”’s lyrics might be its mainstream success. (In case you haven’t heard, it stands for wet ass p-ssy.) The song, which features fellow female rapper Megan Thee Stallion, received mixed reviews, with critics both praising the artists’ sex-positive spirit and denouncing the blatant and (in the opinion of some) unnecessary vulgarity. “WAP,' when broken down to its core elements, is one gigantic ode to good sex, dubbing an already unforgettable acronym into American slang. “Certified freak, seven days a week,” Cardi B raps on her latest hit single, “WAP.” Ironically, these lyrics are among the least freaky lines in the song.

Anaconda song