If you've been scratching your head for the past month wondering how rappers Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion managed to pull off the most iconic music video of the summer
for "WAP," here's a video with your name on it.
On Wednesday night, Cardi dropped part one of behind-the-scenes footage, aptly titled "Inside the WAP." Since its release, the music video has gone viral, racking up over 183 million views in a month, and the song debuted at No. 1. The nine-plus-minute video shows how the collaboration came together in Los Angeles, all while the city was on the cusp of shutting down due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Cardi previously said in an interview with i-D that she spent $100,000 dollars on tests for the shoot: "Everybody on the shoot had to get tested for coronavirus. We had a tiger and a leopard there, but we didn’t film with them in there because of safety and because of the pandemic.")
But back to the BTS: In the video, you'll catch Cardi practicing at dance rehearsal and both women performing their solo scenes before taking on some real-life snakes. ("That's a girl?" Cardi inquires about one. "That is a bad bitch, too.") At first, Megan reveals she had to take two shots before filming with a literal python, although by the end, she says the snakes became her "besties."
There's also some Normani footage—with Cardi singing "Motivation" over and over in the background—and shots of Mulatto, Rubi Rose, and Sukihana all filming their cameos.
But potentially the best part of the video is that it's only part one, meaning there's more to come. So get a bucket and a mop, and be prepared for the second drop.